Personality Test: Brian Vu
Baritone Brian Vu moved to town this summer to become a resident artist with the Pittsburgh Opera. He's playing John Brooke in the company's production of “Little Women” running from Jan. 26 through 31.
A native of Los Angeles, Vu's parents are French-Vietnamese and Chinese. He attended a performing arts Christian school, where singing was a regular component of life. He received degrees in singing from UCLA and Yale University.
Vu, 26, lives in Lawrenceville and enjoys exercising and reading fantasy or dramatic novels. He listens to a lot of music — the louder the better. He's a fan of Swedish House of Mafia, a now-disbanded group of three DJs who favor “very acidic, hard beat.”
The star who would play me in the movie version of my life:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He dives headfirst into whatever project he's involved in with humor and aplomb. First-string candidate.
Childhood hero:
Ash Ketchum, because he simply had to catch 'em all.
The piece of memorabilia from my childhood I wish I still had:
The hand-woven bookmarks that volunteers at my childhood library would make for summer reading-club prizes.
The superpower I wish I had in real life:
Power to control water. I've always felt that it was my element, and making it take different shapes and form (icy, oceanic, etc.) sounds, strangely, serene. Think Sailor Mercury meets Sailor Neptune.
Favorite app:
FaceTime
Favorite season:
Summer
Favorite ethnic food:
Asian (Expected much?)
I spend the most time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other:
The song I want played at my funeral:
“Wandrers Nachtlied II” by Franz Schubert
Pick one: “Veep,” “House of Cards” or “Scandal:
Can I pick “Sailor Moon”?
Show I have or want to binge watch:
“Breaking Bad”
My favorite cable channel:
Food Network
The dessert that matches my personality:
Green-tea ice cream
Movie I could watch every time it appears on cable:
“Inglorious Basterds”
The movie that always makes me cry:
“Finding Neverland”
The Disney character most like me:
Aladdin
My favorite TV or movie villain:
Ursula
If I were auditioning for “American Idol,” my song would be:
“Careless Whisper”
The first band I saw in concert:
Maroon 5, Universal Studios, 2005
The best concert I've ever seen:
Right before she blew up, Lady Gaga made an extremely late appearance at Avalon one fortuitous night I went to club in 2008. Sooooooooooo epic.
Place I'd most like to visit:
Norway
Favorite guilty pleasure:
Blasting J-pop in my bathroom while I shower
Something I would do over if I could:
My time at Yale. Three years is too short to figure out your life, and I'd tell the old me to relax and enjoy the present.
Pick one: Pirates, Penguins, Steelers or other:
Pirates
My favorite Pittsburgh athlete:
Ben Roethlisberger
Favorite lunchtime spot:
Colangelo's
My favorite sandwich, plus fixings:
Traditional banh mi (Vietnamese bread) with cured pork, paté, pickled carrots and jicama, cucumbers, cilantro and jalapeno
My most embarrassing junk food:
I'm actually very proud of how much I love McDonald's sausage egg McMuffins.
My favorite Pittsburgh pizza:
Still determining this. I'm a member of team Pepe's in New Haven, Conn., if anyone has suggestions that can compete with that!
Pick one: Cheetos, Cheez Its or Cheerios:
Cheetos, crunchy
The most dangerous thing I've ever done:
White-water rafting in uncharted Indonesian rainforests
Top thing on my bucket list:
Go skydiving
Best vacation ever:
That time I went to Vietnam and ended the vacay with a trip to Bali
In five years, I'd like to:
Somehow make a cameo appearance on film, television or billboard poster.
I wish I had more time to:
Spend with good friends
Three people I'd love to have dinner with:
Ming Cho Lee, Simon Keenlyside, John Blair
My favorite website:
One word my mother would use to describe me:
Mama's boy
When I was 10, I wanted to be:
Popular
In high school, I was:
Student-body president
If I could go back, I'd tell my teenage self:
To trust your thoughts, instincts and emotions. You are not wrong, even if your teachers are saying so.
My childhood nickname:
Vinh
My first job:
Server and busser at my mom's restaurant
My worst job:
9-5 p.m. music-theory teacher
I'm deathly afraid of:
Rodents and rabies
Favorite Pittsburgh-area landmark:
Carnegie Library. I've literally spent hours there combing through piano-vocal score selections.
The person I'm most often mistaken for:
Jeremy Lin
My most treasured fashion accessory:
My hair
My most memorable fashion mistake:
Forgetting to cut the thread holding my blazer vents — for two years
What you'll always find in my glove compartment:
Napkins
If I wasn't a singer, I'd be:
Some sort of television news anchor or weatherman
If I could live my life as someone else, it would be:
This is a tough question. I love my life, but if I was forced to live as someone else, it would be Anna Netrebko. Check out her vlog “Ask Anna” and her most recent FB pics and you'll see what I mean.
Happiness is:
Letting go
