Ethan Herschenfeld Sings the Role of the Devil at Bob Jones University

Ethan Herschenfeld Sings the Role of the Devil at Bob Jones University

GREENVILLE, S.C., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Devil went down to South Carolina ...

Bass Ethan Herschenfeld sings the title role in Boito's opera Mefistofele at Bob Jones University in South Carolina this week following in the footsteps of Samuel Ramey and Jerome Hines, two legendary American basses who previously starred in this production. Asked about the role, Herschenfeld commented, "It's always great to play the villain and it's especially fun to be the Devil for an audience of true believers. They take Satan literally here. It becomes more like an opera about a real person -- like Boris Gudonov or Jerry Springer -- than fantasy or fiction. And it's an honor to debut the role in this excellent production where the greats Ramey and Hines sang it." Next up, Herschenfeld -- a Brooklyn native and regular with New York City Opera -- changes gears for his Teatro la Fenice debut in Venice as Sarastro in Mozart's The Magic Flute. "Sarastro is a benevolent, avuncular truth seeker. He's very Zen, and he generally sings slow and low -- the polar opposite of Mefistofele who has lots of high drama and high notes. He's moody, dark, manic, a nihilist. You know, The Devil." Asked which role is more fun, Herschenfeld simply raised an eyebrow.

Ethan Herschenfeld began performing while an undergraduate at Harvard and then appeared in theater, musicals, and a few soaps, before embarking on his operatic career. He began his vocal training with tenor Franco Corelli and has trained with Armen Boyajian, teacher of Samuel Ramey and Paul Plishka. The New York Times recently praised the "strapping bass" and The New Yorker hailed his "sharp portrait of a dark, wounded spirit." 2004: created the role of Butt the Busdriver in the world premiere of Haroun at NYCOpera and sang Mephistopheles Hong Kong Opera, Sarastro Stuttgart, Rocco and Sparafucile New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv. 2005-2006: title role in Boito's Mefistofele at BJU (where Ramey first sang the role), Barbe-Bleue NYC Opera. 2007: King Marke Teatro Regio di Torino. At Carnegie Hall, New York he has sung the Mozart Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Theresienmesse, and the world premiere of Vision of the Apocalypse, which he recorded live in St. Louis and toured throughout South Africa.

Visit www.ethanherschenfeld.com for further information.

Source: Ethan Herschenfeld

CONTACT: Ethan Herschenfeld, +1-646-641-8749

Web site: http://www.ethanherschenfeld.com/

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