Ben Bongers, tenor, sings the role of Don José in Carmen, following his West Bay Opera debut as Erik in Der fliegende Holländer.

Mr. Bongers previously sang the role of Erik with Opera Columbus in 2004. In November 2007, he made his San Francisco Opera debut in the role of Malcolm (Macbeth), and earlier this year, he sang Don José (Carmen) with Livermore Valley Opera, a role he also sang with Opera Delaware. He has sung Cavaradossi (Tosca) with New West Symphony, Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos) with Chautauqua Opera, and Pollione (Norma) with Milwaukee Opera. Other roles include Manrico (Il trovatore), Froh, Siegmund, and Siegfried in The Legend of the Ring, Walter von Stolzing (Die Meistersinger), Riccardo (Un ballo in maschera), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Rodolfo (La bohème), Turridu (Cavalleria rusticana), Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), Colonel Thomas McKean (1776), Captain Richard Warrington (Naughty Marietta), and the Beast (Beauty & the Beast). He also sang the role of Mr. Butler in The Devil and Daniel Webster on the Newport Classics label.