Bryan Hymel grew up in New Orleans, La., and like many people from that region, Hymel’s surname is French.
But it turns out Hymel also has Sicilian heritage, as he describes in the video below, produced by the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Celebrating his Italian roots, Hymel turned up at Central Grocery, his favorite Italian grocer in New Orleans, where he sang for customers as they shopped and as they enjoyed fresh sandwiches from the deli:
Given his roots, is it possible that Hymel is genetically predisposed to sing French and Italian songs so well? Perhaps; after all, Hymel’s debut recital album, Héroïque, features his performances of a number of heroic tenor roles of French opera. The album is featured on this week’s New Classical Tracks.