Benjamin Butterfield
Professor & Head of Voice at University of Victoria’s Faculty of Fine Arts; Professional Operatic and Classical Music Performer
Ellis '82
Professor & Head of Voice at University of Victoria’s Faculty of Fine Arts; Professional Operatic and Classical Music Performer
Benjamin Butterfield studied voice with Selena James at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. He later graduated from McGill University and was awarded grants from the Canada Council for the Arts to study in the USA, UK and Italy. He was recognized by the Sullivan Foundation and Oratorio Society of New York and was a participant at the Steans Vocal Institute at the Ravinia Festival, Chicago.
In conjunction with his tenure at UVic, Benjamin maintains an active singing career and is represented by Schwalbe & Partners in New York. Performance highlights include: Handel’s Tamerlano with the legendary stage director Jonathan Miller at Glimmerglass Opera; Montreal Jazz Festival with Dave Brubeck; sharing the stage with film star Isabella Rossellini at the San Carlo in Naples and Epidaurus in Greece, filming Messiah for ZDF at the Handel Festspiele-Halle with Trevor Pinnock and performing in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion for Coretta Scott King at the National Cathedral in Washington DC. Other performances have included Rossini’s Barber of Seville with Welsh National Opera, Mozart’s Magic Flute at New York City Opera, Haydn’s Creation with the Orchestra of St. Lukes at Carnegie Hall and Stankovych’s Kiddish Requiem with the Hamburg Philharmonic in Kyiv, Ukraine for the 75th anniversary of Babyn Yar. Heard regularly on CBC Radio and nominated for several Juno Awards, Mr. Butterfield has also been featured on episodes of This is my music.
Professor Butterfield previously served on faculty at York University in Toronto and has taught and performed at Opera Nuova Edmonton, Opera on the Avalon in Newfoundland, the Vancouver International Song Institute, the Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy, the Victoria Conservatory Summer Vocal Academy, Orford Musique in Quebec and at Yellow Barn in Vermont.
Additional Links
https://www.uvic.ca/finearts/music/people/faculty/profiles/butterfield-benjamin.php