Bass Benjamin Sieverding has launched a promising career that touches upon more than three centuries' worth 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). 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, to make his Austin Opera debut as the Mandarin in Turandot, to 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 (COVID-19). In the fall of 2021, Mr. Sieverding made his Tulsa Opera debut as Betto and covered Simone in Gianni Schicchi, and made his Omaha Symphony debut singing excerpts from Mozart's Requiem. In the spring of 2022, he joins The Metropolitan Opera roster as Pit Singer - Bass 1 in Brett Dean's Hamlet, joins Intermountain Opera Bozeman for The Montana Mikado, and in the 2022-23 season will return to Minnesota Opera and Madison Opera.

 

In 2019, Mr. Sieverding sang 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 Cosi 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 Dvorak with faculty and other alumni at 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. He continued through the year as bass soloist in Rossini's Petite messe solennelle with the South Bend Chamber Singers, bass soloist in Haydn's Mariazellermesse with MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall, bass soloist in Janádek'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 Lakes Area Music Festival as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte.

 

In the summer of 2017, Mr. Sieverding joined Minnesota Orchestra, performing the roles of Fifth Jew and Cappadocian in Salome. He closed the year performing Messiah with Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers.

 

Between 2015 and 2017, Mr. Sieverding was a resident artist with Minnesota Opera, 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, Sacristan in Tosca, both Sarastro and Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, and Truffaldin 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 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 Minnesota Orchestra as Montano in concert performances of Otello under the baton of Maestro Andrew Litton. Additional recent 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, Chamberlain in Stravinsky's Le rossignol, and the title role in 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 Truman 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 a Master of Music degree and was awarded the Earl V. Moore Award in Music. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from South Dakota State University.