Ben Wallace
baritone, conductor, pianist
Ben Wallace is a “versatile and vocally powerful” (Opera Canada) baritone, conductor, pianist, and teacher.
In his second season as a member of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, Ben will play Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos and cover Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Belcore in The Elixir of Love, Marchese d’Obigny in La traviata, and Thomas Heiser in the world première of Ian Cusson’s Empire of Wild. Ben is also excited to conduct the world première of Canadian composer Justin Lapierre’s latest choral work in March, which marks their fifth collaboration since 2022.
FEATURED
PERFORMANCES
Ben on the Podium
Ben is committed to creating spaces of welcome that both honour the past and amplify the voices of today. He formed his own chamber choir and orchestra in 2022 and has since premiered four choral works by Canadian composer Justin Lapierre, each paired with masterworks from the choral canon including Fauré’s Requiem, Zelenka’s Miserere in C minor, and Vivaldi’s Gloria. Their most recent and ambitious project to date was the premiere of a new 70-minute oratorio, The Gatherers, which explores the intrinsic connection of humans and communities to the environment.
Equally at home in the world of musical theatre, Ben has served as the music director for productions of Company, The Last Five Years, In View: The Lyrics of Gord Downie (Downtown Theatre Project), Cabaret, Matilda, Legally Blonde (Royal City Musical Productions), and 13 the Musical (Guelph Little Theatre).