Benedict Nelson

British Baritone Benedict Nelson, was an inaugural Harewood Artist with English National Opera. His recent highlights include Henry Cuffe in Britten’s Gloriana for Teatro Real in Madrid and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Gulbenkian Orchestra. He performed in Braaschaat, Beligum in an open-air concert for Klassiek in het park, featuring selections of popular opera classics. He also appeared in Donnacha Dennehy’s acclaimed The Second Violinist for Irish National Opera at the Barbican, and performed the role of The Colonel in The Silver Tassie, an opera by Mark-Anthony Turnage, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican.

At ENO his roles have included Valentin Faust, Demetrius A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Belcore L’Elisir d’amore, Count Le nozze di Figaro, Figaro Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Ping Turandot, Evangelist/Watchful/First Shepherd The Pilgrim’s Progress and the title role in Billy Budd.

Other engagements include the role of Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest at Royal Opera House, Aeneas Dido and Aeneas at the Teatro Regio di Torino as well as the Salzburg Festival, the Verbier Festival and in Wiesbaden. He has also performed Ned Keene Peter Grimes for Opéra de Lyon and Opera North, Silvano Un ballo in maschera for Opera Holland Park, Don Giovanni for Silent Opera, Marcello La bohème, Sid Albert Herring and Tarquinius The Rape of Lucretia for Angers Nantes Opera, Ananias The Burning Fiery Furnace for Scottish Opera at Lammermuir Festival.

On the concert platform he has performed Stranger The Lady from the Sea for Scottish Opera and Edinburgh International Festival and Melot and Steersman Tristan und Isolde in concert with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Vaughan William’s Sea Symphony with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Hallé, Britten’s Noye’s Fludde with La Maîtrise de Radio France, and Weill’s Das Berliner Requiem with L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.

Nelson recently performed Anthropocene with Scottish Opera and covered the role of Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Glyndebourne Festival Opera April- July 2019. He also covered the role of Demetrius A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Vienna State Opera in September- October 2019 and covered roles in Birtwistle’s The Mask of Orpheus and Philip Glass’ Orphée for ENO. Benedict recently stepped in the role of Jean in William Alwyn’s Miss Julie for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, which received great critical acclaim.