Joshua Benevento is the recent recipient of first place in the Lieder Division of the prestigious Liederkranz Foundation Competition, as well as first place winner of the highly respected Mario Lanza competition. He has sung leading roles in numerous operas including, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Don Jose in Carmen, Lucano in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Camille de Rosillon in The Merry Widow, King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Witch in Hänsel und Gretel. He has also had the honor of performing the challenging and exquisite role of Caliban in New York's premiere of Lee Hoiby's brilliant opera, The Tempest, a role he later interpreted on a recording recently released by Albany Records to rave reviews by three of the major reviewers of recorded works.
Mr. Benevento was also chosen to create the role of the Uncle in the highly acclaimed recent world premiere production of Raphaël Lucas's Confession, an opera that he is also scheduled to record in the spring of 2011.
In addition to his work in opera, he has performed as soloist in orchestra performances of Beethoven's Miss Solemnis, Handel's The Messiah, Bach's Magnificat, Orff's Carmina Burana, Carissimi's Jephte, and Mozart's Requiem.
Interestingly, Mr. Benevento's professional career began with a singing role in the HBO series, The Sopranos.
"As Caliban, the island native enslaved by Prospero, Joshua Benevento manages to sputter and seethe without ever coming off his vibrant tenor voice. He also gets to deliver the wonderfully incantatory Act III aria, "Be not afeard," which has the feel of a modern classic." - Opera News