Benjamin Sieverding
Possessing a “big, rich bass voice” that “brings chills” (MinnPost), bass Benjamin Sieverding has launched a promising career that touches upon more than three centuries of repertoire. He has gained notice for his “resonant, expressive bass” (StarTribune) and for a range of characterizations spanning from “wickedly charming” (l’étoile magazine) to “genuinely threatening” (Phindie). During the 2022-2023 season, Mr. Sieverding returned to Minnesota Opera for Edward Tulane, returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Boroff in Fedora and Pistola in Falstaff, returned to Madison Opera as Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, joined the Brno Philharmonic as the bass soloist in the Glagolitic Mass, and returned to Glacier Symphony as Zuniga in Carmen. He also made a return appearance to Carnegie Hall as the bass soloist for that venue’s premiere of the Nunes Garcia Requiem. In the upcoming season, Mr. Sieverding makes his Edmonton Opera debut as Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, returns to the Minnesota Opera as both soloist in their season preview concert and Colline in La bohème, and joins the Metropolitan Opera to cover both Prison Guard 2 in Dead Man Walking and Tom in Un ballo in maschera.
In the fall of 2021, Mr. Sieverding made his Tulsa Opera debut as Betto / cover Simone in Gianni Schicchi and his Omaha Symphony debut singing excerpts from Mozart Requiem. In the spring of 2022, he joined the Metropolitan Opera roster as Pit Singer – Bass 1 in Brett Dean’s Hamlet, made his Northern Lights Music Festival debut as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and joined Intermountain Bozeman Opera for The Montana Mikado.
In 2020, Mr. Sieverding was slated to return to Minnesota Opera to sing the roles of Bull and Neal in the world premiere of Edward Tulane, make his Austin Opera debut as the Mandarin in Turandot, reprise the Dough’s Mate in Companionship with the Virginia Arts Festival, return to Out of the Box Opera as Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata, and return to Mill City Summer Opera as Sparafucile / Count Ceprano in Rigoletto. (COVID19).
In 2019, Mr. Sieverding reprised the role of Alfred Austrian in the world premiere of The Fix with Minnesota Opera, made his debut with Fort Worth Opera as the Dough’s Mate in Rachel Peters’ Companionship, made a company debut with Pacific Symphony performing The Armchair and A Tree in L’enfant et les sortilèges, reprised the role of Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Glacier Symphony, returned to Madison Opera as Dr. Grenvil in La traviata and made his South Dakota Symphony Orchestra debut as the bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah. In the fall of 2018, Mr. Sieverding performed Bernstein’s Songfest at LOFTrecital, the Biblical Songs by Antonin Dvořák with faculty and other alumni of the University of Michigan, and a solo recital with Opera South Dakota.
Mr. Sieverding began 2018 with his return to Minnesota Opera as Prison Warden George Benton in Dead Man Walking and rejoined the company in the role of Alfred Austrian for a workshop of Joel Puckett and Eric Simonson’s new opera The Fix and as Bull / Neal / Lucius Clark in a workshop of Paola Prestini and Mark Campbell’s new opera Edward Tulane. He continued through the year on a series of debuts with various musical institutions: as bass soloist in Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle with the South Bend Chamber Singers, bass soloist in Haydn’s Mariazeller Mass with MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall, bass soloist in Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with Madison Symphony Orchestra, Zuniga in Carmen with Mill City Summer Opera, and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Opera in the Heights. Mr. Sieverding also returned to the Lakes Area Music Festival as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte.
In the summer of 2017, Mr. Sieverding joined the Minnesota Orchestra for Maestro Andrew Litton’s final performances as music director, performing the roles of the Fifth Jew and the Cappadocian in Salome. He closed the year performing Messiah with Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers. Between 2015 and 2017, Mr. Sieverding fulfilled a young artist residency with Minnesota Opera, where his responsibilities included performing the roles of Colline in La bohème, Max Kane in the world premiere of William Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, the Sacristan in Tosca, both Sarastro and Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, and Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos, in addition to covering Vodnik in Rusalka. During that same period, he made debuts with Skylark Opera Theatre as Il Commendatore and Masetto in Don Giovanni, with Madison Opera as The Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette, with Lakes Area Music Festival as Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with Consortium Carissimi as Filandro in the modern premiere of Bernardo Pasquini’s 1672 opera Il Tirinto, and with the Minnesota Orchestra as Montano in concert performances of Otello. Additional operatic credits include debuts with Santa Fe Opera and Opera Philadelphia in the world premiere production of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar. As an Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera, Mr. Sieverding also covered Herr Puff in Mozart’s The Impresario, the Chamberlain in Stravinsky’s Le rossignol, and the title role of Don Pasquale. As a Resident Artist with Opera Colorado, he performed Count Ceprano in Rigoletto and Zuniga in Carmen.
Mr. Sieverding is a four-time Regional Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Finalist in the Mary Trueman Vocal Arts Competition (Art Song Preservation Society of New York), and Winner of the Birmingham Musicale, Franco-American Vocal Academy Grand Concours de Chant, and Schubert Club Competitions. Mr. Sieverding completed his Post-Graduate Studies in Vocal Performance at the University of Michigan, where he also received his Master of Music. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from South Dakota State University.
