Product DescriptionTenor Michael Spyres hails from Missouri, where his family of musicians runs an opera company. He originally intended to pursue a career in musicals but eventually turned to opera, studying in the US and Vienna. He has rapidly established a formidable reputation for his sensitive singing and astonishing vocal range, with leading roles at the Royal Opera House, the Lyric Theatre Chicago and Opéra de Paris. Espoir features 19th Century repertoire synonymous with the tenor-of-his-day, Gilbert-Louis Duprez. The program includes arias in French and Italian by Donizetti, Berlioz, Verdi and Rossini, as well as a duet with his co-star from Opera Rara's award-winning recording of Les Martyrs, Joyce El-Khoury.