Soloists
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Benjamin Butterfield |
Benjamin Butterfield’s stage repertoire includes roles in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, The Rake’s Progress, Persephone, Cunning Little Vixen and Tamerlano. He has performed all over the world, including performances at Il Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Le Thêátre du Capitole in Toulouse, Welsh National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, L’Opéra Nationale de Montpellier, Arizona Opera, New York City Opera, L’Opéra de Montreal, Vancouver Opera, Glimmerglass Opera Festival, and Canterbury Opera in New Zealand.
In concert he has appeared in Britten’s War Requiem with the London Symphony Chorus and the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki, the St. Matthew and St. John Passions with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra under Nicholas McGegan, and Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln at the Toronto International Choral Festival. He has toured throughout Europe with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert, RIAS Kammerchor of Berlin, and with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre. Mr. Butterfield has also performed with the Detroit, San Francisco, New Jersey, and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. Other appearances have included the Saito Kinen Festival with Seiji Ozawa, Festival Vancouver performing the Mad Woman in Britten’s Curlew River, and in recital with Graham Johnson for VISI.
Benjamin Butterfield’s 2009–10 season schedule includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Colorado Symphony under Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, the Vancouver Symphony under Bramwell Tovey performing Mozart’s Requiem, and appearances with the Harrisburg Symphony, Pacific Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Vancouver Bach Choir, and Victoria Symphony. Operatic highlights include a return to Calgary Opera’s stage as Ottavio in Don Giovanni.
Highlights of previous seasons include appearances at the Carmel Bach Festival, Messiah with the San Diego Symphony and the American Bach Soloists, with Opera Ontario as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and as Tamino at Calgary Opera in Die Zauberflöte. Mr. Butterfield made his début in France with L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg singing L’Enfance du Christ, appeared in Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet with the Toronto Symphony under Sir Andrew Davis, and performed Bach cantatas at the BBC Proms with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. He enjoys ongoing relationships with the Calgary Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Les Violons du Roy, and Tafelmusik. Other orchestral engagements have included performances with the Oregon Symphony, the National Arts Center with Pinchas Zuckerman, the Montreal Symphony, the Residentie Orkest in the Netherlands, and concert versions of Die Zauberflöte with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Semele with Opera Pacific, Victoria.
Of his many recordings, the Britten Serenade (CBC/Streatfeild) and Canticles (Marquis/Aldeburgh Connection) were recognized at the Canadian JUNO Awards. He has also recorded Brahms and Schumann Liebeslieder (CBC/Aldeburgh Connection), music of Bach, Schütz, and Haydn (Koch International/Thomas), Opera Encores (CBC/Bradshaw), Psalm 80 of Roussel (Timpani/Tovey) and Weinachts Oratorium (Dorion/Funfgeld). Film and TV credits include Dido and Aeneas with the Mark Morris Dance Group and Tafelmusik, L’Enfant et les sortileges with the Montreal Symphony under Charles Dutoit, Messiah for ZDF in Halle with The English Concert under Trevor Pinnock, and Bach's Mass in B Minor with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem for PBS. He is heard regularly on CBC Radio.