top of page
FB_IMG_1552250015783_edited.jpg

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.

 

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 gracing stages around the globe, 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.

As Managing Director of Pacific MusicWorks and Co-Director of Seattle Art Song Society, Julia has championed inclusion, new commissions, and innovative technologies in performance.

 

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. She’s 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.

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, KundryCarmenMère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites), Pénélope​ (Pénélope), FrickaOctavian (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), WaltrauteErdaZita (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),  HänselMarcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), FlosshildeMeg Page  (Falstaff), Bersi (Andre Chenier), Annina (Der Rosenkavalier),  Angelina (La cenerentola), Flora (La traviata), Dritte DameSt. 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
bottom of page