Biographies

CRAIG IRVIN

Baritone Craig Irvin brings a vibrant sound and commitment to character to each role he portrays. Opera News has hailed his “rich, resonant baritone” while the Dallas Morning News has celebrated his “truly commanding baritone”. The season included singing Dominik and covering Mandryka in Arabella with Canadian Opera Company, Handel’s Messiah with the Jacksonville Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem with Music Worchester, Stubb in Moby Dick with Utah Opera, Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Orlando, and Frank in Die Fledermaus with Des Moines Metro Opera. The season saw the revival of his Dan Packard in Dinner at Eight with the Wexford Festival, Lt. Horstmayer in Silent Night with Austin Opera, Valentin in Faust with Opera Omaha, and Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with the Portland Symphony. This season includes returns to Minnesota Opera as Orest in Elektra and Utah Opera for a reprise of his Lt. Horstmayer in Silent Night. Other recent engagements include Lieutenant Horstmayer in the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ new opera Silent Night with Minnesota Opera and subsequent performances with Opera Philadelphia, Fort Worth Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Atlanta Opera. Additionally, he has sung Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Zurga in Les pêcheurs de Perles with Utah Opera, Dan Packard in Dinner at Eight, Mandryka in Arabella, and Peter in Hänsel und Gretel with Minnesota Opera, made his role debut as Macbeth with Loft Opera, sang Escamillo in Carmen with Fort Worth Opera, debuted with Sarasota Opera as Marcello in La bohème and Anchorage Opera in the title role of The Mikado, sang Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance with Nashville Opera and Pensacola Opera, made his role debut as Dandini in Pensacola Opera’s La Cenerentola, and performed the Villains in The Tales of Hoffman and Leporello in Don Giovanni with Wolf Trap Opera.

DEVIN EATMON

Hailed for his “heroic high notes,” Devin M. Eatmon is a full lyric operatic tenor from Ocala, FL. His performance history includes working with the Central Florida Lyric Opera, Chelsea Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, Aspen Music Festival, Opera Colorado, soon to be Opera Orlando, as well as the St. Petersburg Opera Company. With both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Voice Performance from Florida State University; Devin studied under the tutelage of former San Francisco Opera staring baritone, David Okerlund. Some of Devin’s most notable collegiate roles include, George Villiers in the Scholastic Premier of Carlisle Floyd’s, Prince of Players, Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's, La bohème, Curley in Floyd's, Of Mice and Men, and Edgar Aubrey in Heinrich Marschner’s German Romantic opera, Der Vampyr. In the musical theater realm, Devin’s recent performances include playing the role of, Nicely Nicely Johnson in Victory Productions’ production of Guys And Dolls. Devin is currently living in Orlando, FL and is looking forward to future endeavors with The Christmas Tenors as well as his solo operatic career.

FERNANDO VARELA

The story behind Fernando Varela begins and ends with a voice. A voice tells the tale of a breathtaking tenor whose spirit and determination has defied the odds. Born in San Juan, PR, Fernando moved to Florida at the age of eight, and while he always loved music it was not until he was seventeen that he discovered the impressive talent he had within him. Fernando trained with some of opera’s renowned classical icons and tours worldwide with Grammy Award-Winning producer David Foster. Varela can also be seen featured on David Foster’s recently released PBS Special. He has also performed amongst some legendary superstars including Lionel Richie, Sarah Brightman, Babyface, Gladys Knight, Peter Cetera, Neil Diamond, Seal, Jewel, The Beach Boys, Steven Tyler, Josh Groban, and Chaka Kahn. In 2019, Fernando was a special guest performer for two prestigious events that aired on PBS: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song honoring Gloria and Emilio Estefan, as well as The Grammy Salute to Legends where he honored Julio Iglesias. Varela is signed with Universal Music Group and released his debut album Vivere, in March 2017, accompanied by his debut solo PBS Special, Coming Home. Fernando is currently in the studio with producer Emilio Estefan working on his follow-up album. Fernando Varela sets the standard for what true musicianship is all about, combining a unique voice and an engaging passion that lights up the stage.