British Baritone Benedict Nelson, was an inaugural Harewood Artist with English National Opera where he sang Valentin Faust, Demetrius A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Belcore L’Elisir d’Amore, Count Le Nozze di Figaro, Figaro Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Ping Turandot, and the title role in Billy Budd.


Before the pandemic, Benedict was due to make notable debuts last season as Demetrius Midsummer Nights Dream at Wiener Staatsoper, Clarence in the UK premiere of John Adams Girls of the Golden West for BBCSO and to revive his role of Matthew in Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s The Second Violinist at the Armoury in New York.


Recent highlights include Henry Cuffe in Britten’s Gloriana for Teatro Real in Madrid, Miles Anthropocene with Scottish Opera, and Matthew in The Second Violinist for Irish National Opera at the Galway International Arts Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival, Barbican and Dutch National Opera. Performances at the Marinsky and Alexandra Palace of Knussen’s Where the Wild Things Are and acclaimed performances of Maxwell Davies 8 songs for a Mad King with Shadwell Opera in London and the Aurora Orchestra at the Berlioz Festival. Matthew Passion with Dunedin Consort and Mephistopheles in Boulanger’s Faust et Helene with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra. He returned to BBC Symphony Orchestra in the role of Jean for Alwyn’s Miss Julie at the Barbican, subsequently recorded and released on Chandos.


Other notable engagements include the role of Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest at ROH and Lincoln Center New York, Aeneas at Teatro Regio di Torino as well as Salzburg Festival, Verbier Festival and in Wiesbaden. Ned Keene Peter Grimes for Opéra de Lyon and Opera North, Tarquinius The Rape of Lucretia for Angers Nantes Opera, and Ananias The Burning Fiery Furnace for Scottish Opera at Lammermuir Festival.


On the concert platform he has performed Melot in Tristan und Isolde and Mozart Requiem with the CBSO, Vaughan William’s Sea Symphony with the RSNO and BSO, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with the Hallé and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem and Turnage’s The Silver Tassie with BBCSO, Britten’s Noye’s Fludde and Weill’s Das Berliner Requiem with L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.