Ben Heppner OC (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian tenor.

Heppner was born in Murrayville, British Columbia. He began his musical studies at the University of British Columbia and first attracted national attention when he won the CBC Talent Festival in 1979. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the most prominent dramatic tenors active today. He has come to be associated particularly with the Wagner repertoire, but he performs a wide range of works.

Heppner performs frequently with all the major opera companies in the United States and Europe, as well as concert appearances with major symphonies. He has made DVDs of Beethoven's Fidelio and Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, two of his signature roles. He first performed Tristan with the Seattle Opera in 1998. He relishes the most challenging roles, including Tristan, Lohengrin, Otello, and Berlioz' Aeneas.

Heppner has recorded widely on many labels, both solo albums and operatic repertoire. He is currently signed to an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG). His first solo recording for DG recorded in 2001 was Airs français, which won a Juno Award.

Heppner has received Honorary Doctorates from York University (2003), Memorial University (2003), University of Toronto (2002), McGill University (2002), and University of British Columbia (1997).

In 1988 he won the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1999, and was promoted to Officer in 2000.

External link

• Official site