Ben Kazez

baritone

Ben is passionate about the music of J. S. Bach and has performed the Passions (Christus, Pilatus, and arias), Christmas Oratorio, B Minor Mass, and 40 cantatas. His interpretations are influenced by studies with Max van Egmond, Peter Harvey, Mark Padmore, and Dame Emma Kirkby. He has performed Bach cantata solos in Snape Maltings (Aldeburgh, England), Barcelona’s L’Auditori Petit Palau (under Václav Luks and Shunske Sato), and Westerkerk in Amsterdam.

Ben also loves the harmony and counterpoint of ensemble singing. Highlights include Monteverdi Vespers at the Chappelle Royale de Versailles and Monteverdi operas at the Salzburg Festival (Sir John Eliot Gardiner), Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Netherlands Bach Society (Shunske Sato), Mozart Requiem at Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Verdi Requiem at Vienna Musikverein, and Berlioz at the BBC Proms (Royal Albert Hall).

During the pandemic Ben created VMII, a digital resource that 100,000 people per year use to learn about early vocal music. He is fluent in French and Italian.