The Valley Concert is delighted to welcome tenor Benjamin Butterfield and pianist Sarah Hagen to the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium on Friday, November 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Butterfield grew up in a musical family in Victoria, BC. His two brothers have also established musical careers, Christopher as a composer and Peter as a conductor and a tenor.
Benjamin once again lives in Victoria where he is the Head of Voice at the UVic School of Music. He continues to maintain an active performing career. His wife, the Dutch soprano Anne Grimm, also teaches voice at the university.
Between these two stays on the island, Butterfield lived the life of a full-time professional singer, a career that took him around the world. He has sung across North America, Europe, and Asia. Along the way he has collaborated with some of the world’s greatest musical artists. He stood in for the ailing superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann and had a singing role in a film by Gérard Depardieu starring Isabella Rossellini.
His vocal career has spanned a variety of styles. He was inspired to pursue a career in opera by another great Canadian tenor Richard Margison. Opera Canada recognized Butterfield’s lifetime achievements with a Ruby Award in 2019. He is in great demand for performances of the oratorios of Handel and Haydn as well as the role of the Evangelist and the arias in Bach’s Passions.
We will have the privilege of hearing him in recital with the talented pianist Sarah Hagen. The two are frequent collaborators and great friends.
Benjamin’s choice of program says a great deal about his diverse interests. Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op. 24, is one of the great song cycles coming out of the Romantic Period. The early songs of the American singer-songwriter and pianist Randy Newman provide an unexpected but fitting counterpoint.
Tickets are available online at www.valleyconcertsociety.com at $35 for adults and $20 for students. For more information, call 604-289-3377.
John Wiebe - President
The Valley Concert Society