Benjamin Taylor, baritone, begins the 2019-2020 season with a debut at Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera in Opera Favorites: All Mozart concert. He then returns to Pittsburgh Opera for Le Däncaire in Carmen before making another debut at Opera Ithaca as Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. A graduate of the Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Program, he was seen as Schaunard in La bohème, Older Thompson in Glory Denied, Sciarrone in Tosca, Brian in The Long Walk, and Captain Gardiner in Moby-Dick in addition to covering Doctor Malatesta in Don Pasquale and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. During the 2017-2018 season he debuted at Madison Opera as Silvio in Pagliacci, and was an Apprentice Artist at Santa Fe Opera (2018, 2019) where his assignments included covering Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles.

 

Mr. Taylor was a Gerdine Young Artist (2015, 2016) and Richard Gaddes Festival Artist (2017) at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis where he performed the roles of Fiorello in The Barber of Seville, Cowardly Giant in Shalimar the Clown, and Prince Yamadori in Madame Butterfly. Additionally, he covered Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Marcello in La bohème, Musik Teacher in Ariadne auf Naxos, Sharpless in Madame Butterfly, and Lawyer Huld in The Trial. In 2016, he also performed Marcello in La bohème with Crested Butte Festival, and Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly for Berkshire Opera’s inaugural season.

 

Benjamin received his Master of Music from Boston University, where he also earned his Performer’s Certificate with Boston University’s Opera Institute. While at BU, he performed the roles of Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Escamillo in La Tragédie de Carmen, Prior Walter in Angels in America, Alvaro in Florencia en el Amazonas, Coyle in Owen Wingrave, and Des Grieux in Le Portrait de Manon. He received his Bachelor of the Arts at Morgan State University where he sang Tom in Blue Monday with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.