Gryphon Gallery: Benjamin Butterfield

September 16, 2022

Alumni

Stuart Brambley, Archivist Stuart Brambley, Archivist photo

His musical life started at home and as a boy chorister at Christ Church Cathedral.. After completing his studies at Brentwood College, he 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 with a degree in performance and was awarded grants from the Canada Council for the Arts to study in the United States, UK and Italy.

In conjunction with his tenure at UVic—he was granted a professorship in 2016—Benjamin maintains an active singing career with performances in opera, concerts, and recitals. As an outstanding tenor, he enjoys an international career as one of Canada’s most successful and sought-after artists, performing to critical acclaim throughout North America, Europe, Israel and New Zealand.

Highlights of his career have included performances in Carnegie Hall and at the BBC Proms in London, Messiah at the Handel Festspiel-Halle for ZDF, St. François d’Assise by Messiaen with the Montreal Symphony under Kent Nagano as well as sharing the stage with film actress Isabella Rossellini in Stravinsky’s Persephone at the San Carlo in Naples and in the open air amphitheatre at Epidaurus, Greece.

In the fall of 2018, he was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the country’s highest academic honor, peer-elected as the best in their field.