Originally from Boston, MA, Benjamin R. Sokol is a second-year Ryan Opera Center bass-baritone. Last season at Lyric he appeared in Salome and El último sueño de Frida y Diego. He received his bachelor’s, master’s, and professional degrees in classical voice at the Manhattan School of Music. Sokol has won many competitions and received numerous awards, including the 2026 First Prize at the D’Angelo Young Artist Vocal Competition at Opera Tampa, the 2025 First Prize at the Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition, semi-finalist in the 2025 George and Nora London Foundation Competition, grant recipient at the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, winner of the 2024 Philadelphia District Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, third place winner in the 2024 Mario Lanza Scholarship Competition, semi-finalist in the 2023 Premiere Opera Foundation Competition, finalist in the 2022 Opera Index Competition, and winner of the 2021 Milnes Opera Idol Competition. He has previously participated in the artist-development programs at San Francisco’s Merola Opera (Commendatore in Don Giovanni), Chautauqua Opera Company and Conservatory (Betto Di Signa in Gianni Schicchi, L’Arbre in L’enfant et les sortilèges), and the Taos Opera Institute. He has also been with the Milnes VOICE Programs for several years, participating in the Florida VOICE Project and Milnes VOICE Studio and performing at the Savannah VOICE Festival. Other roles in his repertoire include Nick Bottom/A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Vodnik/Rusalka, Badger/The Cunning Little Vixen, Sarastro and Sprecher/Die Zauberflöte, Wagner/Faust, Sparafucile and Monterone/Rigoletto, and Orest/Elektra.
Benjamin R. Sokol
