Lithuanian tenor Kristian Benedikt has built up a reputation as one of the leading international singers Verdi’s Otello.
He sang this most demanding role more than 100 times: at Wiener Staatsoper, Bavarian State Opera Munich, at the Mariinski Theatre in St. Petersburg, Modena, Piacenza, Cagliari, Palermo, Ekaterinenburg, Santiago de Chile, Vilnius, Graz, Basel, Stockholm, Latvian Opera Festival and at Victoria’s Pacific Opera, Montreal Opera, Savonlinna Festival etc.
During last two years he has debuted in London Royal Covent Garden Opera with the role of Canio (conductor A. Pappano, staging of D. Michieletto), sang Otello in Wiener Staatspoer (cond. M. Armiliato, staging of D. Michieletto), Hungarian National Opera, Al Bustan Festival (cond. G. Marciano) and in production of Salzburg Easter festival (with K. Thielemann), sung Samson in Torino Regio (cond. P. Steinberg, staging H. De Ana), Herman in Hungarian National Opera (cond. B. Kocsar), debuted in Macedonian National Opera with Calaf (G. Del Monaco production), also sang Siegmund in Odense (cond. A. Vedernikov), Otello in Savonlinna Festival and gave gala concert in Jurmala Festival.
Engagements in 2024 include Calaf in Turandot at Opera National du Rhin and Radames in Tosca with the Jerusalem Lyric Opera Studio & Festival.
In 2023 he was Erik in Der fliegende Holländer at Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, Calaf in Turandot and Don José in Carmen at the Latvian National Opera, Calaf in Turandot Teatrul Național de Operă și Balet Maria Bieșu, the title role Andrea Chénier at Theater St Gallen, Herman in Pikovaya Dama at the Kungliga Operan and Florestan in Fidelio at Sofia Opera & Ballet
Engagements in 2022 included Eleazar in La Juive, Calaf in Turandot as well as the title role in Ernani at the Lithuanian National Opera.
In the season of 2019/20 he sang Don Alvaro in La Forza del Destino at Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos, Hermann in the Queen of Spades at The Metropolitan Opera New York, Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer at ABAO, Bilbao.
In 2018/19 he sang the title role in Don Carlo, Don Jose in Carmen and Calaf at the Lithuanian National Opera, the title role in Andrea Chenier at Teatro Verdi di Trieste and Calaf at Teatro di Colon, Buenos Aires.
2017/18 season he sang Dick Johnson in Trieste and Siegmund in Odense New Opera house,
Samson (Samson et Dalila) at The Metropolitan Opera, New York.
In 2017 he performed Jose at the Lithuanian National Opera, Herman in Luzern Festival, Cavaradossi in Llangollen (Wales) and Radames in Estonian National Opera; durig the
Highlights of past seasons are Don José (Carmen), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Samson (Samson et Dalila), Calaf (Turandot), Pinkerton (Madame Butterfly), Canio (I pagliacci), as well as roles like Eleazar (La juive), Manrico (Il trovatore), Dick Johanson (La fanciulla del West), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), the title roles in ”Andrea Chenier”, ”Ernani”, ”Rienzi”, ”Lohengrin” and Hoffmann in ”Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in Munich, Saint Petersburg, Santiago de Chile, Mexico, Beijing, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Tallinn, Barcelona, Bergamo,
Palermo among others.
He began his career at Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre where he performed more than 20 different roles. Starting out his career as a lyrical tenor, he made his first international experiences recording Ponchielli’s ”La Gioconda” conducted by Marcello Viotti next to Placido Domingo and in Amsterdam’s ”Don Carlo” conducted by Riccardo Chailly. Subsequently he was guesting Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, at most opera houses of the Baltic countries.
He has performed under the baton of conductors such as Antonio Pappano, Marco Armiliato, Marcello Votti, Riccardo Chailly, Maurizio Barbacini, Paolo Carigniani, Asher Fisch, Renato Palumbo, Valeri Gergiev, Alexander Vedernikov and is working with stage directors like Giancarlo del Monaco, Damiano Michieletto, Willy Decker, David Alden, Calixto Bieito, Hugo de Ana, Dmitri Bertman, Eimuntas Nekrošius or Pier Francesco Maestrini.