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Ben Heppner
Ben Heppner
Ben Heppner
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Thomas Bernard Heppner CC (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian tenor and broadcaster, now retired from singing, who specialized in opera and other classical works for voice. He was widely regarded as the foremost Wagner tenor of his era.[1][2][3][4]

Early life and career

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Heppner, was born in Murrayville, British Columbia, and lived in Dawson Creek, British Columbia.[5] His family were Mennonites.

Following secondary school in Dawson Creek, Heppner pursued further studies at the Canadian Bible College in Regina, Saskatchewan (1973–74).[6][7] In later years he would sing solo for the Billy Graham Crusades in Toronto and Ottawa.[8]

He pursued musical studies at the University of British Columbia from 1975 to 1979, studying with voice teacher French Tickner. He first attracted national attention when he won the CBC Talent Festival in 1979, singing Mozart's "Il mio tesoro" from Don Giovanni.[5] He later studied opera at University of Toronto.

In 1987, under the tutelage of voice teachers William Neill and Dixie Ross Neill, Heppner made a successful transition to the spinto voice category, specializing in the Germanic repertoire.[5] Heppner won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 1988 which launched his career.[5] He also won the Birgit Nilsson Prize in 1988.[3]

International career

[edit]

He was associated with the Wagnerian repertoire, but he performed a range of operas from the German, French and Italian canons. Heppner performed frequently with opera companies in the United States (including the New York Metropolitan Opera) and Europe, and concert appearances with symphony orchestras. Heppner was widely regarded as the foremost Wagner tenor of his era.[1][2][3][4]

Heppner achieved renown in 1993 with the role of Walther von Stolzing in the recording of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch with the Bavarian State Orchestra.[9]

In 1994, Heppner performed the role of Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio with Günther Herbig conducting the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.[10]

Heppner recorded Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in 1995 with Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.[11] He performed Beethoven's Fidelio at the Salzburg Festival with Solti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1996,[12][13] which would be the conductor's final operatic performance, and recorded the work that same year with Sir Colin Davis conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.[14]

Heppner has often performed Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, including a 1995 performance conducted by Bernard Haitink.[15]

He first performed Tristan in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde with the Seattle Opera in 1998, and in November 1998 with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado.[16] Heppner also performed and recorded Wagner's Götterdämmerung with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.[17] He specialized in operatic roles including the title part in Lohengrin, the title part in Otello, and Berlioz's Aeneas in Les Troyens.

He has appeared in the DVD recordings of the Metropolitan Opera productions of Beethoven's Fidelio,[18] Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,[19] and Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, three of his signature roles.

Heppner performed and recorded two major operas composed by Richard Strauss with Giuseppe Sinopoli conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden, Die Frau ohne Schatten[20] and Ariadne auf Naxos.[21]

Also with Sir Colin Davis, Heppner recorded the role of Aeneas in Berlioz' Les Troyens.[22]

Heppner has recorded on multiple labels, participating in complete operas and solo albums of arias and songs. He was signed to an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG). His first solo recording for DG, made in 2001, was Airs Français accompanied by Myung-whun Chung conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.[23] It won a Juno Award.

Honours

[edit]

Heppner has received Honorary Doctorates from Queen's University (2006),[24] McMaster Divinity College (2005), York University (2003),[25] Memorial University of Newfoundland (2003[26]), University of Toronto (2002),[27] McGill University (2002),[28] and University of British Columbia (1997).

Heppner was awarded the National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards in 1995.[29] He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1999, was promoted to Officer in 2002 and Companion in 2008. He performed at closing ceremonies of two Winter Olympic Games. In Turin in 2006, he sang the Canadian national anthem. Four years later, in Vancouver, he sang the Olympic Hymn. Both times, he mixed English and French. In June 2016, Heppner was made a laureate of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Classical Music.[30]

Retirement

[edit]

Heppner announced his retirement from singing in April 2014.[31] Heppner felt unable to be a "part-time singer", feeling that "No matter how often you sing, if you're going to sing at a good level, a quality level, you've got to keep it up all the time. And I was finding that to be a little bit difficult. So that, plus the fact that I've been experiencing a little bit of unreliability in my voice – and that causes some anxieties – I decided it was time".[31]

Post-retirement, Heppner accepted a brief role in a musical production of Titanic at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto in May 2015.[32]

Heppner became a broadcaster on Canadian radio, hosting Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and Backstage with Ben Heppner on CBC Radio.[31] He retired from broadcasting in September 2021.[33]

The Ben Heppner Vocal Music Academy at Heather Heights Junior Public School

Heppner plans to continue hosting master classes and coaching singers for roles, and appearing on voice competition juries.[31] The Ben Heppner Vocal Music Academy, a public school in Scarborough, named after Heppner, opened in 2012.[34]

Discography

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Opera

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Recital

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Others

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References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Ben Heppner

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Ben Heppner is a Canadian dramatic tenor known for his robust voice and acclaimed interpretations of heroic roles in the operas of Richard Wagner and other composers. He first gained national attention in 1979 as the winner of the CBC Talent Festival and went on to win the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1988, launching an international career that saw him headline productions at leading opera houses across Europe and North America. His performances at the Metropolitan Opera included starring as the title role in Lohengrin, Florestan in Fidelio, and Tristan in Tristan und Isolde, as well as other demanding parts that showcased his strength in the dramatic tenor repertoire. Heppner's recordings earned him two Grammy Awards, one in 1998 for Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and another in 2001 for Les Troyens with the London Symphony Orchestra. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the arts. After retiring from the operatic stage, Heppner transitioned to broadcasting, hosting CBC Radio programs such as Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and Backstage with Ben Heppner, where he shared his expertise and passion for classical music and opera. He resides in Toronto with his family.

Early life

Birth and family background

Ben Heppner was born on January 4, 1956, in Murrayville, Langley, British Columbia, Canada. He grew up in a Mennonite family within the Fraser Valley's Mennonite community, where religious and cultural traditions shaped his early environment. His family and local church played a central role in his initial exposure to music through congregational singing, a common practice in Mennonite worship services that emphasized four-part harmony and communal participation. This early involvement with sacred music in the church setting laid the foundation for his lifelong connection to vocal performance.

Education and early musical training

Ben Heppner began his formal musical education at the University of British Columbia, where he studied voice from 1975 to 1979 under French Tickner. He completed a bachelor's degree in vocal performance at the UBC School of Music during this period. His early training emphasized lyric tenor repertoire, as demonstrated by his performances and recognition while still a student. In 1981, Heppner advanced his operatic studies at the University of Toronto Opera Division, attending for approximately one year. This program provided focused training in opera technique and stage performance, building on his undergraduate foundation. As a student at UBC, he had already shown promise as a lyric tenor, including his first-prize win at the CBC Talent Festival in 1979 with a Mozart aria. Heppner's early vocal development centered on establishing a solid lyric technique before his later expansion into more dramatic and heldentenor repertoire. His university training laid the groundwork for his operatic career through structured vocal instruction and exposure to standard tenor roles.

Career

Early career and competitions

Ben Heppner first gained national recognition in 1979 when he won first prize in the CBC National Radio Competition for Young Performers, also known as the CBC Talent Festival, performing Don Ottavio's aria "Il mio tesoro" from Mozart's Don Giovanni. This victory provided him with the confidence to pursue singing professionally and marked his initial breakthrough in Canada. His operatic debut followed in 1981 as Roderigo in Verdi's Otello with the Vancouver Opera Association. From 1982 to 1984, he was a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble, performing lyric tenor roles on tour, including Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Achilles in La Belle Hélène, Camille in The Merry Widow, and the title role in Les Contes d'Hoffmann. A pivotal moment came in 1986 with his performance in Peter Maxwell Davies's The Lighthouse at the Guelph Spring Festival, which demonstrated his capacity for more dramatic material. In 1987, under the guidance of voice teachers William Neill and Dixie Ross Neill, Heppner successfully transitioned from lyric tenor to the spinto and heldentenor repertoires, focusing on Germanic works. His first major engagement in this new vocal category was as Bacchus in Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos with the Victoria State Opera in Sydney, Australia. In 1988, Heppner achieved further competitive success by winning first prize in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and receiving the inaugural Birgit Nilsson Prize. These accomplishments facilitated his American opera debut that fall as Walter von der Vogelweide in Wagner's Tannhäuser at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. His early engagements with regional companies in Canada and initial forays into heavier repertoire laid the foundation for his emergence as a heldentenor.

Opera debut and rise to prominence

Ben Heppner made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in December 1991 as Idomeneo in Mozart's Idomeneo, stepping in as a replacement for Luciano Pavarotti. This marked his entry to one of the world's foremost opera houses. He returned to the Met in subsequent seasons for additional roles, including Laca in Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa in 1992, building a sustained presence there. In 1990, Heppner debuted at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, again as Laca in Jenůfa, further establishing his reputation in major European houses with the same signature role. He soon appeared at the Vienna State Opera and other leading theaters, taking on demanding dramatic tenor parts in the Italian and German repertories that highlighted his vocal strength and endurance. His early successes in these houses drew positive critical attention for his robust tone and musical sensitivity, positioning him as an emerging force among dramatic tenors. Heppner's development as a leading Wagnerian tenor began in the early 1990s with initial forays into Wagnerian repertoire at major venues, setting the stage for his later prominence in roles such as Tristan. His rapid rise during this period reflected growing demand for his voice type in the heavy dramatic literature of Janáček, Verdi, and Wagner.

Major roles and international performances

Ben Heppner earned international acclaim as a leading dramatic tenor through his interpretations of demanding heroic roles, particularly in the operas of Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, and Benjamin Britten. His signature roles included Lohengrin in Lohengrin, the title role in Tannhäuser, Tristan in Tristan und Isolde, Otello in Otello, and the title role in Peter Grimes. These portrayals established him as a prominent figure in major opera houses across Europe and North America during his peak years. Heppner made his European operatic debut as Lohengrin at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1989, a role he subsequently performed at the Bolshoi Theatre later that year, San Francisco Opera, Vienna State Opera, and in a new production at the Metropolitan Opera. He debuted at La Scala in 1990 as Walther von Stolzing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, a production that marked his entry into Milan’s prestigious stage. His assumption of Tristan began with the first staged performances in a new production at Seattle Opera in 1998, followed by appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Salzburg Easter Festival, and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, often under prominent conductors. In Verdi's Otello, Heppner sang the title role in concert performances with the Munich Philharmonic under James Levine and made his stage debut in the part with Lyric Opera of Chicago. He debuted as Peter Grimes at the Royal Opera Covent Garden and Opéra National de Paris, adding Britten's complex character to his repertoire of psychologically intense roles. Heppner also performed Tannhäuser in productions including an early U.S. appearance at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1988. His engagements extended to other leading venues such as the Bavarian State Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and Salzburg Festival, where he appeared in several Wagnerian capacities.

Recordings and concert work

Ben Heppner built a substantial discography focused on the heldentenor repertoire, particularly Wagnerian roles, alongside selected French, Italian, and Czech operas. His recordings appeared on major labels including BMG/RCA, Teldec, Decca, EMI, Sony, and CBC Records. Notable among his opera recordings are two versions of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, one of which earned a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 1997. He also recorded Lohengrin for RCA Victor Red Seal in 1995, Die Frau ohne Schatten for Teldec in 1997, and Dvořák's Rusalka for London Records in 1998, the latter honored as Gramophone Record of the Year in 1999. His performance in Berlioz's Les Troyens received a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 2001 and a Gramophone Award for Best Opera Recording in 2002. Beyond complete opera sets, Heppner released several solo and orchestral vocal albums. These include Richard Strauss orchestral songs with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Davis for CBC Records in 1995, French airs for Deutsche Grammophon in 2002, and Paolo Tosti songs for Deutsche Grammophon in 2004. He also contributed to a variety of orchestral and recital projects, bringing his lyrical yet powerful tenor to lighter and song-oriented repertoire. Heppner maintained an active concert career alongside his operatic work, appearing as a soloist with prominent orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He became particularly associated with large-scale late-Romantic and early twentieth-century vocal-symphonic works, including Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde and Schoenberg's Gurrelieder, which featured prominently in his concert schedule. He also performed in oratorio and concert settings, such as Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Film and television appearances

Television opera broadcasts and specials

Ben Heppner has appeared in several televised opera broadcasts and specials, bringing his powerful tenor to audiences beyond the opera house through productions featured on PBS, Great Performances, and other networks. These appearances often showcased his acclaimed interpretations of demanding roles in the Wagnerian and dramatic repertory. One of his most notable television credits was the Metropolitan Opera's broadcast of Beethoven's Fidelio on October 28, 2000, where he sang Florestan in a telecast directed for television by Brian Large. He also starred as Walther von Stolzing in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in another Metropolitan Opera Presents telecast aired on December 8, 2001. In addition to his Met appearances, Heppner performed the title role in a 1999 televised production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. Earlier in his career, he was featured in the 1993 Great Performances presentation of William Bolcom's McTeague. These broadcasts, along with occasional specials, highlighted Heppner's dramatic intensity and vocal stamina in complex roles, contributing to his visibility as a leading dramatic tenor on visual media.

Documentary and guest appearances

Ben Heppner has appeared as himself in several television specials and documentaries beyond his opera performances. The most notable is the 2016 short documentary Ben Heppner: Moving Through Music, directed by Randall Okita and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. The film explores his vocal prowess and deep personal connection to performance, incorporating layers of sound and revisiting the diverse spaces—from country churches to major international opera houses—where his voice has resonated throughout his career. He has also made guest appearances on various television programs, often as himself or in musical capacities. These include credits on the Juno Awards television specials in 1996 (as himself) and 2004 (as himself/performer), as well as on the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games TV coverage (as self—opera singer in one episode). In 1997, he appeared as a tenor in the TV movie Karen Kain: Dancing in the Moment, a profile featuring Canadian ballerina Karen Kain.

Awards and honors

Grammy and classical music awards

Ben Heppner has earned significant recognition for his opera and classical recordings through Grammy Awards and other prestigious classical music honors. He won two Grammy Awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002 for the recording of Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis, receiving honors in the categories of Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Album. In total, Heppner has secured three Grammy wins and eight nominations across his career, primarily for opera recordings. He has also won three Juno Awards, Canada's highest music honors, for classical vocal recordings. These include a 2002 Juno Award for his album of French opera arias released on Deutsche Grammophon. He received additional Juno nominations in categories such as Classical Album of the Year (Vocal or Choral Performance) in years like 2004 and 2007. Heppner further received an ECHO Klassik award for his performance in Puccini's Turandot with the Munich Radio Orchestra. These awards highlight his excellence in interpreting demanding dramatic tenor roles in major operatic works by composers such as Berlioz, Wagner, and Puccini.

Other recognitions

Ben Heppner has received honorary doctorates from nine Canadian universities in recognition of his contributions to classical music and the performing arts. These include an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of British Columbia in 1997. He also received an honorary doctorate from McGill University in May 2002. In 2008, Heppner was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour, for his outstanding achievements in opera and his service to the arts. In 2016, he was presented with the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (Classical Music) by the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, honouring his enduring impact on Canadian performing arts. His hometown of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, renamed its main street Ben Heppner Way in 1997 to commemorate his international success.

Personal life

Family and later years

Ben Heppner was born on January 14, 1956, in Murrayville, British Columbia, as the youngest of nine children in a Mennonite farming family. He grew up in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Heppner married Karen, a piano teacher, and the couple has three children: a daughter named Ashley and two sons. The family has long resided in Scarborough, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, where Heppner has prioritized family life and faith, often describing them as the most important aspects of his existence. Heppner has maintained a strong connection to his religious roots, serving as a member of the First Alliance Church in Scarborough, where he sings regularly alongside his family and congregation. He has limited professional engagements over the years to avoid extended absences from home, including taking every other summer off to spend time with his family and recharge. His wife Karen has been a consistent presence in his personal life, and the couple has focused on typical suburban pursuits such as attending their children's activities. In later years, Heppner and his wife continue to live in the Toronto area, where Karen serves as pastor at a non-denominational church in Markham. Heppner is a grandfather to five young children. Among his personal interests is riding a Honda Goldwing motorcycle, which he took up in his late 40s as a long-desired hobby once his immediate family was grown.

Health challenges and retirement

In the later years of his singing career, Ben Heppner experienced vocal challenges that occasionally affected his ability to perform. He described a "little bit of unreliability in my voice" that would appear unexpectedly in the middle of phrases, surprising him and causing anxiety. These issues were noticeable to audiences and had, on occasion, resulted from vocal strain that forced him to cancel engagements. Specific difficulties included a poorly received performance of Act 2 from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde at the BBC Proms in August 2010 and the cancellation of three European concert performances of Verdi's Otello in October 2010 due to vocal indisposition. In 2011, Heppner withdrew from the Metropolitan Opera's production of the Ring cycle, where he was scheduled to sing Siegfried, due to vocal struggles. Despite these setbacks, he continued to take on major Wagnerian roles, including Lohengrin with Los Angeles Opera in 2010, where he expressed confidence in the part's suitability for his voice even as he acknowledged working through recent vocal travails. On April 24, 2014, at age 58, Heppner announced his retirement from opera and concert singing. He stated, "After much consideration, I’ve decided the time has come for a new era in my life. I’m setting aside my career as an opera and concert singer." Heppner explained that part-time singing was not viable, as maintaining the necessary quality required full-time commitment, and he preferred to retire while still remembered positively rather than persist with inconsistent performances. He emphasized going out "on top" and thanked supporters for his 35-year journey in the profession.

References

  1. https://www.vancouversymphony.ca/artist/ben-heppner/
  2. https://ondemand.metopera.org/performance/detail/7d8cea1a-f136-5737-8aaf-1f13f0fadd25
  3. https://ondemand.metopera.org/performance/detail/0ca2889f-f750-5a03-896b-a8885394ddf8
  4. https://ondemand.metopera.org/performance/detail/9a2dccd0-fd3c-57fc-b80e-831f8d395315
  5. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ben-heppner
  6. https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ben-heppner
  7. https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/ben-heppner
  8. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363251/
  9. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2006096/
  10. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378400/
  11. https://www.nfb.ca/film/ben_heppner__moving_through_music/
  12. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5645478/
  13. https://calverley.ca/article/bn07-50-heppner-takes-home-two-grammy-awards/
  14. https://grammy.com/artists/ben-heppner/3223
  15. https://concoursmontreal.ca/en/jury/ben-heppner/
  16. https://uleth.academicworks.ca/donors/ben-heppner
  17. https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/artists/ben-heppner/biography
  18. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378400/awards/
  19. https://reporter.mcgill.ca/famed-tenor-ben-heppner-joins-schulich-school-of-music/
  20. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/gentle-ben-one-of-a-kind/article4147944/
  21. https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-arts/ben-heppners-retirement-includes-singing-gospel-and-riding-motorbikes
  22. https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/ben-heppner-star-tenor-announces-retirement-from-singing-1.2619650
  23. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-14-la-ca-ben-heppner-20101114-story.html
  24. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/arts/music/20ring.html
  25. https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/ben-heppner-to-retire-from-singing/
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