What exactly "classifies" as being a Lyric Baritone?

Question

I am entering my sophomore year at university, and I am a dual major in musical theatre and vocal performance. I always sang tenor in high school, dropping from tenor 1 to tenor 2 junior year. I worked all freshman year on Tenor literature, and my teacher has decided that voice is beginning to settle in the region of a Lyric Baritone. So, my new literature is in both ranges. What exactly classifies the male voice as being a Lyric Baritone, and what does it or can it mean for the future?

Answer 1

IIIRC, a lyric baritone is at the higher end of the baritone range without being a true tenor.  A lot of great opera roles are lyric baritone roles - Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Papageno in The Magic Flute, and Marcello in La Boheme.  I'd probably define Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera as a lyric baritone, but that's also as much to do with the sound as the range.  I'm trying to think of current musical theatre stars who would be classed as lyric baritones, and the only one that comes to mind immediately is John Barrowman, although he does have a tenor top end to his range.