He won the First Prize at the 2008 Kathleen Ferrier awards, the first out-right male winner for 13 years and achieved much success at the RCM including winning the Lieder Prize, English Song Prize and the singer’s prize at the Gerald Moore Award as well as a prize at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition.

Ben is in demand as an oratorio soloist around the UK and Europe. He has worked with such conductors as Sir Charles Mackerras, Harry Bicket, Peter Schreier, Andrew Parrott and Neil Thompson. He works regularly with the London Mozart Players; most recently taking part in the world premiere of Lynn Plowmann’s Cries Like Silence and also gave three performances of Plowmann’s cycle for tenor and strings The Star Gazer with them. He made his debut singing Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with the National Philharmonic of Lithuania and has recently sung Handel’s Messiah with the English Chamber Orchestra at Cadogan Hall and at the Hexagon in Reading, Bach’s B minor Mass at the Three Choirs Festival and Handel’s Samson with Harry Bicket in his BBC Proms debut.

In 2005 Ben made his operatic debut in Handel's Rodelinda for Opera de Baugé and returned in 2006 to sing his first Don Ottavio. In September 2007 he played the title role in BYO's acclaimed production of Albert Herring and sang his first Tom Rakewell in the BBIOS production of The Rake’s Progress. Other recent engagements have included his debut with Scottish Opera as Tonik in Smetena's The Two Widows, Aceste Ascanio in Alba at Kings Place with the Classical Opera Company, the world premiere of Das Babylonexperiment by Matthew King at the Internationales KammermusikFestival Nürnberg and covering roles in ENO’s Dido & Aeneas and Glyndebourne’s The Fairy Queen.

A committed recitalist, he enjoys a partnership with pianist James Southall and recent highlights have also included a recital with Roger Vignoles at the Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, with James Southall at the Chelsea Schubert Festival, a Schubert programme with Iain Burnside at Kings Place Hall, an appearance at the Wigmore Hall and at the Herten Mendelssohn Festival, Essen both with Graham Johnson, and recitals in Aldeburgh and Aix-en-Provence with Malcolm Martineau.

Engagements in the 09-10 season included Wozzeck in concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Royal Festival Hall and the Théâtre de Champs Elysée, Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera under Francesco Corti, his debut with the Opéra de Lyon, Novice Billy Budd in a new production conducted by Sir Mark Elder at Glyndebourne, Haydn Harmoniemesse at the Aldeburgh Festival, Evangelist St Matthew Passion with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra in Norway under Nicholas Kraemer.

Ben is currently an associate artist of the Classical Opera Company and for the last two years Ben has studied with the tenor Tim Evans-Jones, with whom he continues to work.

Ben Johnson is represented by Intermusica worldwide.

July 2010 / 495 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.

Novice in Britten Billy Budd
Glyndebourne Festival Opera / cond. Sir Mark Elder / dir. Michael Grandage
“Of key roles it’s almost invidious to single anyone out but one should mention the trio of senior officers, Matthew Rose’s Flint, Darren Jeffrey’s Ratcliffe, and the ever-impressive Iain Patterson as Redburn. And further down the food chain, Ben Johnson’s affectingly sung Novice.”
Edward Seckerson, The Independent, May 2010

“The smaller roles are uniformly well taken, with Jeremy White as Dansker, Ben Johnson as the Novice and Matthew Rose, Iain Paterson and Darren Jeffery as the three officers all outstanding.”
Andrew Clements, The Guardian, May 2010

“The award-winning young tenor Ben Johnson makes his mark as the Novice”
Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, May 2010

“And Ben Johnson is striking as the sadistically humiliated Novice”
Richard Morrison, The Times, May 2010

“Each cameo role in the all-male ensemble cast takes on personality and musical character, especially Ben Johnson's Novice”
Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian, May 2010

“Ben Johnson's anguished Novice is a haunting creation, broken by punishment and transformed into the drama's Judas.”
Michael Church, News Scotsman, May 2010

Berlioz Nuits d’été
Les Azuriales Festival
“A trio of outstanding British voices – David Kempster and Sarah-Jane Daives as the lovers, Ben Johnson as the butler – shared the songs with distracted, slow-burning intensity.”
Michael White, Opera Now, November 2009

Bach B Minor Mass / Tewskbruy Abbey
Rodolfus Choir / cond. Ralph Allwood
“Tenor Ben Johnson's Benedictus, with flute accompaniment, was a joy to listen to and created a sublime aura of peace.”
Roger Jones, Musicweb International, August 2009

Handel’s Messiah / St. David’s Hall, Cardiff
Cardiff Polyphonic Choir / cond. Neil Harris
“…tenor Ben Johnson - awarded this year's Kathleen Ferrier prize - brought a dramatic edge to his recitatives”
Rian Evans, Guardian, December 2008

Aceste in Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba
Classical Opera Company / cond. Ian Page
"Big things beckon....for the tenor Ben Johnson, typically supple and ardent in the bit-part of Aceste"
Neil Fisher, The Times, December 2008

Winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Awards 2008 at Wigmore Hall

"Ben Johnson, at 24, was one who greatly impressed me. If Justice roams through the world of music, this young tenor should have a successful career."
John T. Hughes, Classical Music Source, April 2008

Title role in Britten’s Albert Herring
British Youth Opera / dir. William Kerley / cond. Peter Robinson

"Johnson's portrayal was masterly."
Michael Church, The Independent, September 2007

"Ben Johnson's raptly sensitive rendition of the title role"
Neil Fisher, The Times, September 2007

These are featured projects related to Ben Johnson:

Highlights
BEN JOHNSON  2009/10 HIGHLIGHTS • 08 September 2009 Recital with James Southall, Chelsea Schubert Festival • 08 October 2009 Idiot in Berg’s Wozzeck with Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, Cond. Esa-Pekka Salonen (also 12 October 2009 at Théatre des Champs-Elysées) • 22 October 2009 Recital with James Southall, Oxford Lieder Festival • 03 December 2009 Handel Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno with...