Chris Berentson
Baritone
art, story and song
Welcome
My first love has always been to communicate from the stage through text and song. In my varied career so far, I have striven to present the music I love to as many different people as possible. This journey has taken me on many musical adventures. Now, I look forward the next chapter...
About Chris Berentson
A Story Steeped in Sound
New Zealand Baritone Chris Berentson studied at the Canberra School of Music, Australian National University under Anthea Moller. He is a recipient of both the Kornfeld Scholarship for post graduate singers, and a Master of Music Performance Voice with first class honours. He is featured as a baritone soloist on the world premier recording of Alfred Hill’s Life with the Dominion Quartet for NAXOS.
In Opera, his roles have included Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro and Gulielemo in Cosi Fan Tutte for George Limb Opera Canberra, as well as Dapertutto in Les Contes d'Hoffmann for Wellington Light Opera. He has also performed in Operetta: Danilo in The Merry Widow for George Limb Opera Canberra, and Eisenstein in two different productions of Die Fledermaus for Wellington Light Opera.
Concert work includes the Baritone roles in some of the great Oratorios and Masses of Handel, Mozart, Dvořák, Fauré, and Duruflé. His Bach repertoire includes Mass in B Minor, Christmas Oratorio, Magnificat, the cantata Ich Habe Genug, and the pivotal role of Christus in both extant settings of the Passion. He has worked as a soloist with The Llewellyn Choir, The Canberra Choral Society, the ANU Choral Society and the Bach Choir of Wellington.
Since July 2023, Mr Berentson has been based in both Germany and New Zealand. He has recently performed Sprecher in Lyric Opera Weimar's Summer Season of Die Zauberflöte.
Photo Credit of Chris Berentson as Sprecher above: Britta Rehder
