Teddy Fan-club on the Rise

Kiwi baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes continues to set hearts a-flutter in the opera world. The Sydney media have called him “opera’s Brad Pitt,” the New York Times “a cross between Paul Bettany and Viggo Mortensen” and the Washington Post “a hunkier Sting.” But with acclaimed roles in Le nozze di Figaro, The End of the Affair and The Little Prince (Houston Grand Opera), Don Giovanni (Opera Australia), and Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking (San Francisco Opera) to his credit, his voice is evidently more than a match for his looks. “I can’t imagine another baritone like Teddy,” says Jake Heggie. “It’s a big, rich voice, a classic sound where the diction is so clear. I knew right away I wanted to write the role for him in The End of the Affair. Teddy is totally comfortable with his own artistry, in his own skin.”