Ben Bliss

Hailed as a "truly exceptional tenor" by the National Review, Ben Bliss is quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting performers on today's operatic stage, both in his native America and internationally. Ben has been cited as "an exemplar of the Mozartean tenor" for his "purity of tone, vocal control and artistic sensitivity" (Opera Warhorses).

Ben was a 2021 recipient of the Metropolitan Opera's prestigious Beverly Sills Award. His numerous other accolades include the 2016 Martin E. Segal award at Lincoln Center, the Mozart and Plácido Domingo awards at the 2015 Francisco Viñas International Competition, first prize at the 2014 Gerda Lissner and Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation competitions, and the 2013 Operalia Don Plácido Domingo Sr. Zarzuela prize.

The 2026–27 season sees Ben as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto at the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden under Domingo Hindoyan, his return to the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich as Alfredo in La Traviata, and the role of Nikolaus Sprink in Kevin Puts's Silent Night at the Metropolitan Opera. He makes his role debut as Tamino in Marcos Morau's new production of Die Zauberflöte at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, joins the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood under Gustavo Gimeno for Beethoven's Ninth, and gives recitals at the Park Avenue Armory, Cal Performances, and Vocal Arts DC, all with pianist Christopher Allen. He also returns to the Met for the company's Diamond Jubilee gala marking 60 years at Lincoln Center, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Last season's highlights included two roles at the Metropolitan Opera — a debut as Eric in Jeanine Tesori's new opera Grounded, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. Ben also returned to the Opéra national de Paris as Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress, and performed Jupiter in Semele for his house debuts at both the Royal Opera House and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Concert engagements included performances with the Metropolitan Opera and Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall, as well as with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Ben's 23/24 season included house debuts at the Opéra national de Paris as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and at the Wiener Staatsoper as Ferrando in Così fan tutte. He also made a role debut as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, performed Tamino and Pélléas in Pélléas et Mélisande with the Bayerische Staatsoper, and returned to the Canadian Opera Company as Don Ottavio. Outside the opera house, Ben performed Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas, and gave a recital with soprano Louise Adler at Wigmore Hall.

While in the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Ben made his Met stage debut as Vogelgesang in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under James Levine, and has since returned as Steuermann in Der Fliegende Holländer under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, and as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. He made his European debut in the latter role with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera on tour in 2015.

Other operatic highlights have included Tamino at the Los Angeles and Philadelphia Operas, Ferrando at the Seattle and Canadian Operas and Oper Frankfurt, Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress for the Boston Lyric Opera, and Flamand in Capriccio and Robert Wilson in Peter Sellars's new production of Doctor Atomic in Santa Fe.

Ben's concert highlights include his debuts with the LA Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic as Tony in Bernstein's West Side Story Concert Suite No. 1 with Alan Gilbert, Haydn's Creation and Cassio in Otello at the Cincinnati May Festival under James Conlon, a house and role debut as Count de Rosillon in Die lustige Witwe in concert at the Liceu Barcelona, and a US recital tour including Carnegie Hall with pianist Lachlan Glen. Ben also appeared alongside Isabel Leonard for Ferdinand and Miranda's love duet from Adès's The Tempest at the Metropolitan Opera's 50th Anniversary Gala in 2017.

Author — Ben is also the author of Making It Work: The Practical Guide to Financial and Entrepreneurial Literacy for Freelancers in the Performing Arts, available now.