Meet the Studio Artists – Benjamin Liupaogo

Benjamin Liupaogo

Tenor

1. Where were you born and raised?
   Born in Castro Valley, California and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.
2. Where did you go to school?
   I am currently pursuing a DMA in voice performance at the UW-Madison.
3. Who is your favorite opera singer?
   Leontyne Price.
4. My favorite opera is…
   Tosca by Puccini.
5. What is your dream role?
   Cavaradossi in Tosca or Radames in Aida.
6. What are you most excited about for this upcoming Madison Opera season?
   I am very excited for the opening show Cavalleria Rusticani / Pagliacci.
7. What is your favorite thing about performing on stage?
   The connections I make with fellow artists and performers.
8. When did you know you wanted to pursue opera as a career?
   When I first performed in an opera chorus.
9. I like to binge-watch…
   Shameless.
10. People would be surprised to know…
    …my ethnicity is Samoan, which comes from the South Pacific in the triangle of Polynesia.
11. Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
    Q. Where do you want to live and settle down?
    A. I want to be based in San Francisco Bay Area, so I can be closer to my family. Family is everything where I come from, so if I can have an operatic career and be around my family, all while based in San Francisco, then I am truly happy.

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Find out more about Benjamin and our other 2018/19 Studio Artists, and don’t miss hearing him perform this season!