Zachary Gordin in "Opera in the Park"

Zachary Gordin

"Opera in the Park" is coming to the San Francisco/Oakland suburbs with barihunk Zachary Gordin, soprano Kristin Clayton and conductor Bryan Nies. On Sunday, June 24th, the singers will perform with Festival Opera at the Civic Park in Walnut Creek at 5 PM.
   
Zachary Gordin was most recently featured as a soloist in Oakland East Bay Symphony's Carmina Burana. He's been a regular on our site and was also featured in our charity calendar. On June 1st, at Sacramento's Pride celebration, he premiered composer Clint Borzoni's "A Nation Announcing Itself" taken from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass."

The "Opera in the Park" program will include music from Verdi's "Il Trovatore," Bizet's "Carmen," Bernstein's "West Side Story," Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor," Puccini's "La boheme" and Bernstein's "Candide."

Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic or buy pizza at the park. No alcoholic beverages are allowed, but you can get drunk on the music.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Zachary Gordin to premiere Clint Borzoni work at Sacramento Gay Pride

Zachary Gordin as he appears in the 2012 Barihunks calendar

On June 1 at 7 PM PST, the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center is presenting "Courage to Stand," which showcases the stories of LGBT service members who served before, during, and after the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell"  era. The event is the official kickoff of the 2012 Sacramento Gay Pride Weekend and it will include barihunk Zachary Gordin premiering New York composer Clint Borzoni's "A Nation Announcing Itself" taken from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass."

We asked Borzoni about his selection of "A Nation Announcing Itself."

I scoured my go-to source material, Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" for a poem that might set well for the commission. I came upon the first poem in the "Chants Democratic" section which I thought perfectly captured the emotions of the LGBT troops. Lines like, "What we are, we are...", "I swear I dare not shirk any part of myself, not any part of America, good or bad", and "O I see now flashing, that this America is only you and me, its power, weapons, testimony, are you and me...". The song isn't only about an individual group standing up for their rights, but about a section of that group fighting for the rights of every person, even those that condemn them. The song is titled, "A Nation Announcing Itself".

We asked Zachary Gordin about the piece and here's what he had to say:

Clint treats the subject matter directly, and takes great care in setting the text. There are bugle-like intervals in the vocal line at the beginning of the song, setting a military theme which develops into a melody that flows from powerful exclamation, to floating pianissimi, and back. The accompaniment is virtuosic and exciting, reinforcing the emotional "buzz" of the text, and there's a big finish! I am amazed by how well Clint wrote for my specific voice, exploiting a full tonal palette in a way that seems like we collaborated endlessly on each phrase. All this, after one conversation about basic technical aspects of the vocal line. I'm thrilled to premiere this song with pianist Jim Jordan, who is an incredibly gifted artist and an absolute joy to make music with!

Tickets to this event are $75 per person and includes an open bar, hors d'oeuvres and a selection fo wine from Bogle Vineyards. The event is at the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento. Tickets are available HERE.

Regular readers of this site will recall that Borzoni also set another Whitman poem, "I Dream'd in a Dream" for barihunk Randal Turner's West Coast recital debut in 2010. That recording is available at CDBaby. or at Amazon (click on the box in the sidebar to order).

Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

NY Times says go to Oakland in 2012: "HOT" opera at the Crucible; Zachary Gordin with East Bay Symphony

Been to Oakland lately? We have three reasons to go: Great food and drinks, amazing music and barihunks.

Friday's travel section of the New York Times named Oakland, California as one of the 45 places to visit in 2012. Northern Californians have long known that Oakland is San Francisco's fog-free counterpart across the Bay, where young people have been moving in droves to open restaurants and bars, art galleries, buy homes and dubbing it the "Brooklyn of the West."

The New York Times wrote, "The historic Fox Theater reopened in 2009 and quickly cemented its status as one of the Bay Area's top music venues, drawing acts like Wilco and the Decemberists. Meanwhile, the city's ever more sophisticated restaurants are now being joined by upscale cocktail bars, turning once-gritty Oakland into an increasingly appealing place to be after dark."

Oakland resident Zachary Gordin as he appears in the 2012 Barihunks Calendar

Classical music fans have long known that some of the most innovative programming occurs under conductor Michael Morgan with his Oakland/East Bay Symphony Orchestra. His upcoming Carmina Burana will feature barihunk Zachary Gordin and it will be paired with Glazunov's rarely performed Saxophone Concerto from 1934. There is one performance on Friday, January 27th and tickets are available HERE. The performance is at the historic Paramount Theater, which is walking distance away from the recently restored Fox Theater (pictured above).

Eugene Brancoveanu

If you're looking for the really "hot" show in town, then head over to West Oakland's "The Crucible," where they have pioneered the concept of "fire operas." And we're literally talking about opera with real fire. A performance of a fire opera at The Crucible will make Brunnhilde's "Immolation Scene" look like a burning match. The Crucible is actually an industrial training center where people learn a variety of fire skills. Their current offering, "Machine," will feature molten metal pours, fire performers, glass blowers and blacksmiths.

MACHINE was written, conceived and directed by innovative director Mark Streshinsky. The music is by Clark Suprynowicz, who is known for his jazz and rock infused compositions of operatic and symphonic works.

The plot is based on a short story by science fiction author Derek J. Goodman, MACHINE is set in a fiery industrial universe in which workers have sold themselves into a lifetime of servitude. When one worker regains his power of self-determination, the story ignites into an explosive brew of escape plots, alliances and unlikely love interests

Performances are on January 11-14 and 18-21. Tickets are available HERE.

CONTACT US AT Barihunks@gmail.com

Zachary Gordin: Sexiest Silvio; Check out the Barihunks on-the-air

Zachary Gordin showing off his guns in a Barihunk tee

Zachary Gordin, who is featured in our 2012 Barihunks charity calendar, is taking on Silvio in "Pagliacci" with the revived Sacramento Opera. We've seen a lot of Silvio's in our day, including old historical footage and we've never seen a Silvio this buff before. We can certainly understand why Nedda would want to wrap those big arms around herself. Maybe in this production, conducted by the amazing Michael Morgan, Canio dies from a choke hold by Silvio. Then again, maybe not, this is Sacramento, not Germany.

Performances are this Saturday and Sunday. Visit the Sacramento Opera website for additional performance information or to purchase tickets.

Here is another one of our calendar models, Michael Mayes, singing the duet between Nedda and Silvio. This was recorded last year at the Kentucky Opera. Mayes went out of his way to create a very special photo for the Barihunks calendar, which you won't want to miss. He's our February feature along with fellow singers with web shows, Michael Rice of OperaNow! (who appears in shorts floating in a pool) and Jonathan Estabrooks of the YouTube feature "A Singer's Life" (who shows a little extra skin than one usually sees from a Canadian). Don't forget to subscribe to Mayes' entertaining show, the Texapolitan Opera Roadshow. His guest this week is Maestro Jerome Shannon. If you tune in to the OperaNow! podcast this week, you can double your barihunk fun, as Michael Rice's guest star is Michael Mayes. We guarantee you that there are few things in opera more entertaining than the "Two Michaels."



Contact us at Barihunks@gmail.com

Zachary Gordin to perform at iCadenza Future of Music Festival!

Zachary Gordin

 

On August 19th, American barihunk Zachary Gordin will be performing at the first annual iCadenza Future of Music Festival! in Los Angeles. The four-day festival consists of three concerts by groundbreaking young artists alongside other events and lectures featuring discourse on the new directions of the classical music industry and centered on the question, “On Our Own Terms: Where do artists want to take the future of classical music?” 

 

The festival will take place at The Colburn School, known as an innovative institution shaping the next generation of artists. The three concerts will be featuring dynamic pianists, opera singers, and members of the Israeli Chamber Project – an ensemble comprised of top Israeli-born soloists.

Additional information is available at www.icadenzafestival.com.

Gordin will also be giving one of his popular masterclasses on August 20th from 3-5 PM, also at the Colburn School in downtown LA. This event is free and open to the public. 

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Zachary Gordin Featured on Taminophile

Zachary Gordin, who we recently featured performing in Purcell's "Dido & Aeneas" where he talks about his change from countertenor to baritone, his difficult childhood, teachers and his status as a barihunk.

Zachary Gordin is a baritone known almost as much for his dazzling looks as his beautiful singing. Often featured on the site Barihunks, Gordin began his career as a countertenor and made a change to baritone while enjoying very successful career singing countertenor rep. [READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE]

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Craig Verm's (Sexy) Aeneas Receives Critical Praise

Greer Davis as Venus and Craig Verm as Adonis Florentine Opera (Photo by Kathy Wittman, Ball Square Films)

We recently posted about two production of "Dido & Aeneas" featuring buff barihunks Craig Verm and Zachary Gordin. Although we'll have to wait a week for Gordin's half-naked portrayal at West Bay Opera in Palo Alto, the reviews are in for Craig Verm. He was praised not only for his singing (which is still paramount), but his "sex appeal." Here's what the Third Coast Digest in Milwaukee had to say:

Craig Verm’s potent, lush baritone suits Adonis and Aeneas. Florescu and Verm conceived Adonis as essentially comic (until the poor fellow dies). Rivard and Meyers put him in a Fabio wig and beefcake outfit. Verm (who’s pretty buff) leaned into Davis’ fetching Venus with great and persistent ardor. Her deflections make for nifty comedy, even as the chemistry between them adds sex appeal (and one more thing to love about this show).

You can read the entire review by Tom Strini HERE.

Craig Verm's sexy and well-sung Aeneas

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