Ben Heppner
Ben Heppner , CC (born January 14, 1956 in Murrayville , British Columbia ) is a Canadian opera singer (tenor). He was considered one of the leading hero tenors of the beginning of the millennium.
Life
Heppner grew up in Dawson Creek ; his parents were Russian Mennonite immigrants. He began his musical education at the University of British Columbia. His victory at the CBC Talent Festival in 1979 brought him first national attention, at that time still with a predominantly lyrical voice and with the aria "Il mio tesoro" by Ottavio from " Don Giovanni ". In 1981 he made his debut as an opera singer with Rodrigo from Verdi's “ Otello ” at the Vancouver Opera Company.
In 1987 he switched to drama under the guidance of his teachers, William and Dixie Ross Neill, specializing primarily in Wagner . After changing voices, he made his debut with “ Ariadne auf Naxos ”, an Australian production. In 1988 he was among the eleven finalists at the audition of the Metropolitan Opera (Met) and won the renowned Birgit Nilsson Prize. In 1989 he made his European debut as Lohengrin with the Royal Swedish Orchestra Stockholm. He sang the same role with the same orchestra shortly afterwards in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. In the spring of 1988 Heppner made his debut in the USA: In Chicago he sang Walther von der Vogelweide in Richard Wagner's " Tannhäuser ".
Heppner was supposed to make his debut at the Met in 1992, but it came before that when he stepped in for the indisposed Luciano Pavarotti in “ Idomeneo ” in December 1991 . In 1992 he made his debut at the Salzburg Festival in the title role of the opera La clemenza di Tito .
Ben Heppner has sung with almost all the great conductors and orchestras and in all the major opera houses in the world. In addition to Wagnerian roles such as Tristan , Stolzing and Lohengrin, his star roles are Florestan from Beethoven's “ Fidelio ”, Verdi's Otello or Peter Grimes in Benjamin Britten 's opera of the same name.
Heppner has been awarded honorary doctorates from several Canadian universities. He has been a member of the Canadian Order since 1999 and was promoted to officer in 2000. He is a believer and is involved in various charitable organizations. As an avowed family man, he limited his performances to 50 per year and avoided major opera productions every other summer.
In April 2014 he decided to end his singing career.
Web links
- Ben Heppner at Operabase (engagements and dates)
- Ben Heppner at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
- Ben Heppner in The Canadian Encyclopedia
Individual proof
- ↑ Press release in “Operavore” accessed on April 25, 2014
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Heppner, Ben |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian opera singer (tenor) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 14, 1956 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Murrayville , British Columbia |