Benjamin Bernheim
Some of the most exciting moments in any season are when an outstanding performer makes their first appearance on the Met stage. This season is no exception, with the Met debuts of tenor Benjamin Bernheim and soprano Svetlana Sozdateleva, along with the triumphant second season of tenor Michael Spyres.
Tenor Benjamin Bernheim received rave reviews as the Duke of Mantua in the production of Verdi’s Rigoletto last fall. The New York Times described him as “a lyric tenor who roars on top with genuinely thrilling, auditorium-filling sound.”
Born in Paris and raised in Geneva, he started his career at the Opera Studio at Opernhaus Zurich in 2008. He has also sung at the Berlin State Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala, the Paris National Opera, and other top venues. Bernheim’s signature roles include Des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème, and Lenski in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. The Met looks forward to welcoming Mr. Bernheim back next season as Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.
Soprano Svetlana Sozdateleva made her North American debut at the Met in September 2022 as Katerina in Shostakovich’s satirical 20th-century opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Reviews described her as dominating the opera, with The Washington Post declaring her as “the eye of the staging’s storm—which never stopped swirling.”
Hailing from Moscow, Ms. Sozdateleva is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, and her most notable roles include Russian favorites such as Renata in Prokofiev’s Fiery Angel and Lisa in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades. Other roles include Emilia in Janáček’s The Makropulos Case and several Wagnerian heroines. Like Mr. Bernheim, she is well known in many premier European opera houses and concert halls.
This season, the Met is also welcomed back tenor Michael Spyres, who had a sensational debut in 2020 as Faust in the concert performance of Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust. This fall, he starred in the title role of Mozart’s Idomeneo, and this spring, he takes the stage as Pollione in Bellini’s Norma. Other highlights of his year include Don Jose in Paris National Opera’s production of Bizet’s Carmen. Mr. Spyres specializes in bel canto and French grand opera, though he has sung 85 roles in 78 operas covering three centuries of the operatic canon. Mr. Spyres has close ties to his hometown of Mansfield, Missouri, and serves as the Artistic Director of the area’s Springfield Regional Opera.
The Met takes pride in fostering talent and helping build the careers of major opera artists from around the world. These bright lights of the 2022–23 season are the latest in a long line of opera excellence. With your support, the Met can continue to provide the necessary resources needed to ensure stars like Mr. Bernheim, Ms. Sozdateleva, and Mr. Spyres will grace our stage for many years to come.
One meaningful way to do this is by establishing a gift in your will or estate plan to support the future of the Met. There are many ways to set up this generous type of gift. Please contact Pamela Bennett, Director of Gift Planning, at 212.870.7388 or encoresociety@metopera.org to learn more.