|
The English counter-tenor, Benjamin Williamson, the son of a Canadian soprano and a lutenist from New Zealand, was born in London and underwent a quintessentially English education. He was Head Chorister at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey, a Choral Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge (Master of Arts degree in Philosophy: 2004-2007), and studied postgraduate singing and opera at the Royal College of Music. During his studies, he won the RCM English Song Competition (February 2009) and was a finalist in the overall Singing Competition. He won 3rd Prize and Audience prize in the CantateBach Competition in Griefswald, Germany (June 2015), was a semi finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards (2014), and a finalist in the Royal Overseas League Competition. He is also winner of the Nei Stëmmen International Singing Competition in Luxembourg (September 2013).
Benjamin Williamson's recent roles include Anführer in Toshio Hosokawa’s Erdbeben Träume with Opera Stuttgart, Seraphim 3 in John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary with Theater Bonn and Tolomeo in George Frideric Handel's Giulio Cesare with English Touring Opera. His other roles include Ottone in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea with Ryedale Arts, Hamor in G.F. Handel's Jephtha with Iford Arts, and three roles in the London Handel Festival with Laurence Cummings: Bertarido in G.F. Handel's Rodelinda, Mirtillo in G.F. Handel's Il Pastor Fido and Tassile in G.F. Handel's Alessandro. He has created roles in contemporary operas in the Buxton, Grimeborn, and Tête à Tête festivals and has understudied Oberon in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream with English National Opera, Polinesso in G.F. Handel's Ariodante with Scottish Opera, and other roles with Glyndebourne & Opera North.
Concert highlights include G.F. Handel's Brockes Passion, HWV 48 with Stephen Cleobury and King's College Choir Cambridge on BBC Radio 3 (March 2016), the World Premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Arion and the Dolphin, Purcell & Leveridge with Irish Baroque Orchestra in Dublin, Purcell’s The Fairy Queen with Matthew Halls at Wigmore Hall, Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with Edward Higginbottom in Italy, Purcell’s Hail, Bright Cecilia with Josef Wallnig in St Petersburg and G.F. Handel's Messiah in Poland and Qatar.
Benjamin Williamson is a committed recitalist, and has performed his programme ‘The Art of the Countertenor’ at Cadogan Hall, the Chelsea Arts Club in London (since December 2012), Gravetye Manor in Sussex, and with Corfu Arts in Corfu. He is also the Co-Founder and Vocal Consultant of Sloane Square Choral Society (since January 2011), a lecturer with Opera Prelude, and a passionate singing teacher: his pupils have taken Postgraduate places at all the London music colleges. |
