Benjamin Butterfield, tenor

Canadian Tenor Benjamin Butterfield is recognized for his work in Opera, Oratorio and Concert throughout North America, Europe and Asia, also having performed in New Zealand, the Middle East and Ukraine. 

In a career that has spanned 35 years, Butterfield has sung in Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms), Epidaurus in Greece, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Het Concertgebouw, La Monnaie, the San Carlo in Naples and at the National Concert Hall in Taipei. His repertoire has revolved around Bach’s Passions (Evangelist and Arias), the oratorios and operas of Handel and Haydn, Mozart (Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, Die Entführung, Requiem etc.), Benjamin Britten (Canticles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Turn of the Screw, St. Nicholas, Curlew River etc.), Stravinsky (Perséphone, Rakes Progress, Pulcinella etc.) as well as performances of Rossini (Barber of Seville, L’Italiana in Algeri, Petite Messe), Donizetti (Don Pasquale) and Verdi (Falstaff and Requiem). 

Recently Butterfield sang with Barbara Hannigan and pianist Bertrand Chamayou as a special guest joining the duo for Messiaen’s “La mort du nombre”, sang in run out performances of “Banned from the Concert Hall” through Early Music Vancouver and Victoria Baroque (a hybrid concert centred on the bawdy songs and catches of Henry Purcell), “Messiah” with Early Music Voices in Calgary, a recital of English song with pianist Sarah Hagen as well as “Beethoven 9” in Great Falls Montana, Bach’s “B minor Mass” with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania and “Mozart Requiem” with the Baltimore Symphony (Alsop). 

Past highlights have seen Butterfield singing “Messiah” (McGegan) and Beethoven 9 (Graf) with the Houston Symphony, Haydn’s “Creation” at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Lukes (Rosenbaum) and “Philemon und Baucis” at Schloss Esterhazy in Austria with the English Concert (Pinnock), Stravinsky’s “Perséphone” at the San Carlo in Naples with film star Isabella Rossellini (Ferro), “Barber of Seville” at the Welsh National Opera (Rizzi) and Le Capitole in Toulouse (Desderi), “L’enfant et les sortilèges” at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony (Slatkin) as well as “Messiah” (McCreesh and Goodwin). In 2016 Butterfield participated in a special performance of the Kiddish Requiem (Stankovych) at the Kyiv Opera with the Frankfurt Symphony under Oksana Lyniv recognizing the 75th Anniversary of Babyn Yar. 

Mr. Butterfield has more than 40 CD recordings to his credit including Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” and Cantatas as well as Haydn Masses, Schütz’ “Musikalische Exequien” and “Beethoven 9” (American Bach Soloists – Thomas), Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” and “St. John Passion” etc. (Bach Choir of Bethlehem – Funfgeld), “Psalm 80” by Albert Roussel (Luxembourg Philharmonic – Tovey) as well as five volumes of Ukrainian art song (Ukrainian Art Song Project – Hunka). He can also be heard in the film of “Dido and Aeneas” with Tafelmusik and the Mark Morris Dance Company and is the voice for actor Colm Feore in the opera vignettes film “Burnt Toast” by Dan Redican. 

Head of Voice for the School of Music at the University of Victoria in Canada, Prof. Butterfield has been recognized by Opera Canada with a Ruby Award for his contributions as a tenor and pedagogue (2019) and was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2018). In conjunction with his responsibilities at UVic, Benjamin is an Adjudicator and has participated on many arts funding panels including the Hnatyshyn Foundation in Ottawa and the BC Arts Council. He also has served on faculty for summer vocal training programs including Opera Nuova (Edmonton), Orford Musique (Quebec), the Amalfi Coast Music Festival as well as the Sicily Music Festival and Competition (Italy), Valley Opera Summer Intensive (Kelowna), Yellow Barn (Vermont), Institut Canadien d’art Vocal (Montreal) as well as being Co-Director for the Ukrainian Art Song Summer Institute (Toronto).