Benjamin Butterfield, tenor & Robert Holliston, piano

Our season starts with Schubert’s seminal song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin comprising twenty songs, settings of poems by Wilhelm Müller. We are happy to welcome back tenor Benjamin Butterfield, and collaborative pianist Robert Holliston to perform this beautiful song cycle, considered by many to be a pinnacle of German song.

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)
Die Schöne Müllerin, Op.25, D. 795
Das Wandern
Wohin?
Halt!
Danksagung an den Bach
Am Feierabend
Der Neugierige
Ungeduld
Morgengruß
Des Müllers Blumen
Tränenregen
Mein!
Pause
Mit dem grünen Lautenbande
Der Jäger
Eifersucht und Stolz
Die liebe Farbe
Die böse Farbe
Trockne Blumen
Der Müller und der Bach
Des Baches Wiegenlied

Praised by The New York Times as, “clarion-voiced and vibrant”, Benjamin Butterfield has performed in concert, recital and opera throughout North America and Europe as well as in Asia, New Zealand, the Middle East and Ukraine.

Recognized for his diverse repertoire, Benjamin’s past engagements have included working under legendary director Jonathan Miller at Glimmerglass Opera (Tamerlano), performing with the Dave Brubeck Quartet at the Montreal Jazz Festival (To Hope), sharing the stage with film actress Isabella Rossellini at the San Carlo in Italy and Epidaurus Greece (Perséphone) and appearing with the Hamburg Philharmonic at the Kyiv Opera House (Stankovych’s Kiddish Requiem) under Oksana Lyniv for the 75th Anniversary of Babyn Yar. He has performed at Het Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Taipei’s National Concert Hall, at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall in London as well as at the Welsh National Opera (Barber of Seville), New York City Opera (The Magic Flute) and the Canadian Opera Company (Cunning little Vixen). Most recently Benjamin sang in Bach’s B minor Mass and St. Matthew Passion (Evangelist) for the Bach Choir of Bethlehem as well as Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the St. Lawrence Choir in Montreal.

Professor Butterfield is Head of Voice for the School of Music at the University of Victoria and has been on faculty with Opera Nuova Edmonton, Vancouver International Song Institute, Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy, Victoria Conservatory Summer Vocal Academy, Kelowna Summer Opera, Orford Musique, ICAV in Montreal and at Yellow Barn in Vermont. He also is Co-Director of the Ukrainian Art Song Summer Vocal Academy in Toronto.

A fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and recipient of an Opera Canada Ruby Award, Benjamin has also been recognized by the Juno Awards and is heard regularly on CBC Radio.

Robert Holliston studied at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and at UBC. Performing a wide variety of repertoire throughout Canada (including CBC Radio), the USA, England, New Zealand and Australia, frequently collaborating with many of Canada’s leading singers and instrumentalists and as a member of the popular salon group Viveza, Robert has participated in many prestigious festivals, including Parry Sound, Adelaide (Australia), and the Ottawa, Sitka and Orcas Island Chamber Music festivals. Currently Head of the Keyboard Department at the VCM, where he also teaches music history and chamber music.

Robert has delivered pre-performance lectures for Pacific Opera Victoria since 1993 and has given many concerto performances with the Sidney Classical Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Victoria, and Victoria Symphony, with which he also appears frequently as orchestral keyboard player.