FUNNY
SIDE
UP
Kevin Glavin
finds success in opera
as a basso buffo.
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
Photo by Encompass Arts
A
14 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Ross Township
ll Kevin Glavin ever wanted to do
was to make people laugh.
So, he became an opera singer.
Glavin, 56, of Ross, has achieved
international success as a basso buffo, a bass
singer of comic roles in opera. In particular,
he’s known for playing Bartolo in The
Barber of Seville, a role that he’s performed
two or three times per year since 1988. In
fact, he just wrapped up a performance of
the role with the Pittsburgh Opera in April.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve
performed in the role of Bartolo,” Glavin
says with a laugh. “But I can tell you it’s a
lot.”
Glavin’s first exposure to opera came
while he was a student at North Hills High
School. A soloist in the high school choir,
he was encouraged by legendary choir
teacher Frank Cummings to pursue private
lessons to deepen his talent. He eventually
began studying with Claudia Pinza, a
leading soprano at the Metropolitan Opera
whose father was the famous opera singer
Ezio Pinzo in the 1930s.
“I was about 18 years old at the time, and
all of a sudden my voice changed overnight.
I had been a tenor, and all of a sudden I had