About
Julia is an educator, arts advocate, and award-winning opera singer on a mission to make the performing arts a more inclusive and innovative space. With a flair for storytelling and a passion for activism, she uses music and theater to shine a light on contemporary issues that matter.
In the 2025-2026 season, Julia directs Vox, a one-day, multi-location production of Poulenc's La voix humaine, and performs as the protagonist in the U.S. premiere of disPLACE with Rising Waters Collective.
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Growing up in the majestic Pacific Northwest, Julia developed a love for the arts, Nature, science, and technology—all of which she aims to bridge through creative collaboration.
With over 20 years of experience on stages worldwide, including seven seasons as a principal mezzo-soprano with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Julia has had the privilege of performing for audiences around the globe. Known for her dynamic range and expressiveness, Julia has performed a wide array of roles, highlights of which include Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos), Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites), Mistress Quickly (Falstaff), Venus (Tannhäuser), Kundry (Parsifal), The Fox (The Cunning Little Vixen), Le Prince Charmant (Cendrillon), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Fricka (Das Rheingold and Die Walküre), Erda (Götterdämmerung), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), and the title roles in Carmen, Lucretia (The Rape of Lucretia), Casandra (Gnecchi), Pénélope (Faure), and Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel​).
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As Managing Director of Pacific MusicWorks and Co-Director of Seattle Art Song Society, Julia prioritized new commissions and innovative performance technologies to reach broader audiences and elevate a wide range of artists.
Her academic credentials include degrees in Opera Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and a Master's of Science in Arts and Cultural Management from Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in Barcelona. Julia’s curiosity drives her to empower others in realizing their artistic visions. Currently pursuing a PhD focused on women in leadership in classical music, she’s expanding her impact into arts advocacy and the production of new works.
Julia has received accolades from Sarasota Opera, The Opera Foundation, The Miami Music Festival, The Wagner Society of Northern California, and Seattle Opera Guild.
When she’s not on stage or advocating for representation in the arts, you can find Julia adventuring outdoors with her three young sons or binge-watching as much science fiction as possible.
PRODUCING &
EXCUTIVE EXPERIENCE
PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE
2024 -
Present
Co-Director, Rising Waters Collective
Julia helping to lead dynamic collective of multidisciplinary artists in the Puget Sound Region, dedicated to exploring contemporary narratives through chamber opera. The innovative project is set to launch in 2025.
2007 -
Present
Freelance Producer & Creative Director
With over 15 years of experience, Julia has excelled as a producer of community concerts and educational outreach programs. Her work spans intimate private performances to institutional tours of condensed operas and new works, emphasizing live performance in unconventional spaces.
2022 - 2023
Managing Director, Pacific MusicWorks
In a post-COVID environment, Julia served as Managing Director, collaborating with the artistic team to produce eight productions and guiding the organization through a significant restructuring to adapt to a transformed funding and production landscape.
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Highlights of the work included mounting the wildly successful and critically accalimed concerts "A Concert with The Countess: Baroque Meets Drag" and "¡Navidad: The Mystery of Mary".
2017 - 2019
Co-Director of Projects, Seattle Art Song Society
For two seasons, Julia collaborated with SASS Founder/Director Brian Armbrust to produce and program impactful events, including the Womxn's Voices and Earth Day concerts. Key highlight: facilitated the world premiere of Juliana Hall's "Through the Guarded Gate."
2007 -
Present
Freelance Performance Artist
Julia has performed as a principal mezzo soprano with opera houses and symphonies throughout the United States, Europe, and Middle East. Roles have included Lucretia, Kundry, Carmen, Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites), Pénélope​ (Pénélope), Fricka, Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Mistress Quickly (Falstaff), Orfeo (LÓrfeo), Ottavia (Líncoronazione di Poppea), Cornelia (Giulio Cesare), Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas),
Erste Norn, Penelope (Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria), Waltraute, Erda, Zita (Gianni Schicchi), Le Prince Charmant (Cendrillon)
2007 - 2014
Principal Mezzo Soprano,
Deutsche Oper Berlin
As a Principal Mezzo Soprano, roles included: Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos), Cassandra (Cassandra), Olga (Eugene Onegin), The Fox (The Cunning Little Vixen), Hänsel, Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Flosshilde, Meg Page (Falstaff), Bersi (Andre Chenier), Annina (Der Rosenkavalier), Angelina (La cenerentola), Flora (La traviata), Dritte Dame, St. Margarethe (Szenen aud dem Leben der Heilge Johanna)
2007 - 2014
Young Artist / Resident Artist
Seattle Opera
Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme
Sarasota Opera
Education
Advanced Programs
2022 -
Present
Communications, Education, Humanities |
PhD Candidate
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Barcelona, Spain
Julia is advancing her advocacy for leadership and diversity in Western classical music through her research, which assesses and evaluates initiatives aimed at increasing the representation of women in music director positions at institutional level orchestras and opera houses.
2019 - 2020
Arts & Cultural Management | MS
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Barcelona, Spain
Graduating at the top of her class in a diverse cohort from 23 countries, Julia's master's coursework covered a range of topics including cultural funding, legal aspects of cultural institutions, cultural communication, and management. Key subjects included cultural marketing, leadership in the arts, and performing arts management, alongside a focus on 21st-century societal impacts and cultural policies.
1999 - 2002
Opera Performance | BA
Royal Northern College of Music
Manchester, UK
Coursework encompassed music theory, drama, 20th-century composition, ethnomusicology, and in-depth studies of Russian opera and Richard Wagner's works, including The Ring Cycle. She also explored various art song traditions and modern dance, and completed her final paper on Wagner's antagonist Hagen, titled "Homicidal Maniac or Misunderstood Everyman: Tracing the Sources of Wagner's Hagen."
2020 - 2024
BMP: Producer's Academy
Beth Morrison Projects
OperaHACK!
San Diego Opera
Skills
& Expertise
- Julia Benzinger's expertise includes:
- Capturing cultural events and performances
- Documenting cultural practices and traditions
- Collaborating with cultural organizations
- Visual storytelling within diverse cultural contexts