BenBliss

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  • Tenor

About Ben

Hailed as a “truly exceptional tenor” by the National Review, Ben Bliss is quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting performers on today’s operatic stage, both in his native America and internationally. Ben has been cited as “an exemplar of the Mozartean tenor” for his “purity of tone, vocal control and artistic sensitivity” (Opera Warhorses).

Ben’s 24/25 season includes two roles at the Metropolitan Opera - a debut as Eric in Jeanine Tesori's new opera Grounded, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. Ben also returns to the Opéra national de Paris as Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress by Stravinsky, and will perform the role of Jupiter in Handel's Semele for his house debuts at both the Royal Opera House and the Théâtre des Champs Elysées. Concert engagements include performances with the Metropolitan Opera and Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall, as well as with the Chamber Music Society Lincoln Center.

Last season highlights include house debuts at the Opéra national de Paris as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and at the Wiener Staatsoper as Ferrando in Così fan tutte. Ben also had a role debut as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, performed as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Pélléas in Pélléas et Mélisande with the Bayerische Staatsoper, and returned to the Canadian Opera Company as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. Outside of the opera house, Ben performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson-Thomas, and a recital with Soprano Louise Adler at Wigmore Hall.

Ben is based in New York

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Contact

For availability and general enquiries:

Mathieu Levan

Mathieu Levan

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

Worldwide general management with Askonas Holt

Season Highlights

Sep 2024
The Metropolitan Opera
Tesori: Grounded (Eric)
Dec 2024
Opéra national de Paris
Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress (Tom Rakewell)
Feb 2025
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Handel: Semele (Jupiter)
Mar 2025
The Metropolitan Opera
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (Tamino)
Jul 2025
Royal Opera House
Handel: Semele (Jupiter)

Photos

Selected Repertoire

Ades

The Tempest (Caliban)

Berlioz

Beatrice et Benedict (Benedict)

Britten

Billy Budd (Captain Vere)   •   The Turn of the Screw (Peter Quint)   •   Death in Venice (Aschenbach)   •   Rape of Lucretia (Male Chorus)

Debussy

Pelleas et Melisande (Pelleas)

Donizetti

L’Elisir D’Amore (Nemorino)

Gluck

Iphigenie en Tauride (Pylade)

Gounod

Romeo et Juliette (Romeo)

Handel

Solomon (Zadok)   •   Alcina (Oronte)   •   Semele (Jupiter)

Janacek

Jenufa (Steva)

Mozart

Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio)   •   Cosi fan tutte (Ferrando)   •   Die Zauberflote (Tamino)   •   La Clemenza di Tito (Tito)   •   Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Belmonte)

Poulenc

Les Dialogues des Carmelites (Chevalier de la Force)

Puts

Silent Night (Nikolaus Sprink)

Smetana

The Bartered Bride (Vasek)

Stravinsky

The Rake’s Progress (Tom Rakewell)

Tchaikowsky

Eugene Onegin (Lensky)

Tesori

Grounded (Eric)

Verdi

La Traviata (Alfredo)   •   Rigoletto (Duca)   •   Falstaff (Fenton)

Wagner

Die Meistersinger (David)

News

Press

  • Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio)

    Opera National de Paris
    Sep 2023
    • Le Don Ottavio du ténor Ben Bliss, faisant ses débuts à l’Opéra national de Paris, est tout particulièrement réactif sur scène. Il s’agît d’un rôle parfois ingrat en raison de ses pages sublimes mais au sort fastidieux, voire carrément sot… contre toute attente, le ténor paraît prendre énormément de plaisir à interpréter ses airs avec beaucoup de souplesse vocale et une grande musicalité. [TRANSLATED] Tenor Ben Bliss's Don Ottavio, making his Paris Opera debut, is particularly responsive on stage. It's a role that's sometimes thankless because of its sublime pages, but tedious, even downright silly... against all expectations, the tenor seems to take great pleasure in performing his arias with great vocal flexibility and musicality.

    • Capable lui-aussi de douceur, le ténor nord-américain Ben Bliss livre un Ottavio plus droit, également plus lyrique, dont la ligne est magnifiquement maîtrisée. Les deux Anna s’opposent dans leur caractère plus que dans les moyens vocaux. [TRANSLATED] Also capable of gentleness, the North American tenor Ben Bliss delivers a straighter Ottavio, also more lyrical, whose line is magnificently mastered.

      • Anaclase
      • 29 September 2023
  • The Rake's Progress (Tom Rakewell)

    Teatro Colón
    Jul 2023
    • En el protagónico el tenor Ben Bliss mostró su bello color vocal, la amplitud de su registro y su eficacia interpretativa. [TRANSLATED] In the title role, tenor Ben Bliss showed his beautiful vocal colour, the breadth of his register and his interpretative effectiveness.

    • Nel ruolo del titolo, il tenore Ben Bliss ha mostrato il suo bel colore vocale, l'ampiezza dell'emissione e la sua efficacia interpretativa. [TRANSLATED] Nel ruolo del titolo, il tenore Ben Bliss ha mostrato il suo bel colore vocale, l'ampiezza dell'emissione e la sua efficacia interpretativa

  • Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio)

    The Metropolitan Opera, New York
    May 2023
    • Don Ottavio is often portrayed as a rather conflicted and reluctant avenger in this opera. Ben Bliss portrayed him in a much more assertive and edgy way. In doing so he made the relationship with Donna Anna seem much more credible. He sang ‘Dalla sua pace’ with exquisite lyricism and sustained the extended lines beautifully. Bliss added a number of very tasteful embellishments to ‘Il mio tesoro’ and gave a supremely elegant performance.

    • Ben Bliss possède une voix claire et bien projetée de ténor lyrique, un souffle inépuisable comme en témoigne la longue vocalise centrale de « Il mio tesoro » et une ligne de chant élégamment nuancée. Les reprises de ses airs sont ornementées avec goût. [TRANSLATED] Ben Bliss has a clear, well-projected lyric tenor voice, an inexhaustible breath, as evidenced by the long central vocalise in "Il mio tesoro", and an elegantly nuanced vocal line. The repeats of his arias are tastefully ornamented.

    • Ben Bliss offre à Don Ottavio la qualité de son timbre et la longueur de son souffle, lui permettant de dérouler et longuement déployer une ligne majestueuse, acclamée dans son air "Il mio tesoro intanto". Il propose en outre des variations dans chaque reprise de ses airs avec créativité. [TRANSLATED] Ben Bliss offers Don Ottavio the quality of his tone and the length of his breath, allowing him to unfold and at length deploy a majestic line, acclaimed in his aria " Il mio tesoro intanto ". He also offers variations in each cover of his tunes with creativity.