Stepping into two major role debuts, Benjamin Del Borrello is quickly becoming one of opera’s most exciting young baritones. Ahead of opening night of La traviata, where he steps into the role of Marquis D’Obigny, he spoke to Magazine 6000 about the new characters he’s taking on in 2026 and the path that’s shaping his rising career.
Ben, thank you for speaking with Magazine 6000. You’re currently in rehearsals for La traviata, performing the role of Marquis D’Obigny. What’s it been like in the rehearsal room working under Sarah Giles’ direction alongside such a strong group of artists?
This La traviata, directed by Sarah Giles, is such a bold take on the classic opera. In the rehearsal room, Sarah is dynamic and works with incredible conviction. The production is now four years old— which sounds young—but as an Opera Conference production, it has travelled extensively throughout Australia, from Queensland and South Australia to Perth and Sydney. Having it back here at His Majesty’s Theatre is a real treat. It’s a unique experience to work on a production this contemporary. Often, we work off archival recordings from over a decade ago; here, some of the cast have performed in previous mountings, and the Chorus is almost entirely comprised of returning members from the 2022 Perth season. Sarah acts kind of like a ‘Sherpa’ melding all those previous lessons to make this season unique, and its greatest yet.
Tell us about Marquis D’Obigny, who is he, and is he a fun character to step into?
In this production, the Marquis (or Marchese in Italian) is a friend of Violetta Valéry and the lover of her closest friend, Flora Bervoix. Much of his singing happens within the chorus numbers, but he does reveal some pivotal plot points. For instance, right after the interval in Act 2, he is the one who reveals that Violetta and Alfredo have separated after their months together at the country estate.
Later this year you’ll take on the role of Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, another iconic character. How are you feeling about the role, and even though the production opens later in the year, have you already begun thinking about or preparing your approach to the character?
Mercutio is the definition of a fun character! He has one of the most exciting arias in the repertoire. He boldly leads Roméo into the Capulet masquerade ball, and he famously meets his end in a duel with Tybalt. My favourite way to prepare is to dive into source materials, watch great productions, and fall into every research ‘rabbit hole’ I can find. That process is already well underway. Since this is a unique, new production, I’m keeping my character concept flexible until I meet with the creatives, but having a solid grasp of the traditional scope of the role makes it much more enjoyable to collaborate on a new vision.
The cast of La traviata by West Beach Studio.
Both of these are role debuts for you, how does that feel at this stage of your career?
As a young singer, debuts are a constant, but they are fantastic opportunities that you only get a few times in a career. I truly believe singing is a learned skill; approaching a new role with no prior influence is the perfect chance to extend my knowledge of the art form. Being absolutely addicted to opera, sometimes I go a little too deep and end up finding out a little too much about great singers that have played my role; various interpretations and new productions of the opera; the artistic and political world that the composer was living in at the time of writing; and so much more. Particularly when working on the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, such as La traviata, all of this information is so important. Verdi was the artistic flame of Italy. There are so many biographical and analytical texts about him and his work and with all of this information, we can understand just about every decision that he made in writing his masterpieces. To have so much knowledge already about singing and then to be constantly learning so much about the context behind it all, every day of rehearsal is like adding one more piece to a massive, beautiful jigsaw puzzle.
You were a Wesfarmers Young Artist in 2024/25. Can you tell us about that experience and how the program supported your development as an artist?
The West Australian Opera Wesfarmers Young Artist Program was a long-term goal of mine since starting my Bachelor of Music at WAAPA. It provided the perfect bridge from student to young professional. With the support of Artistic Director Chris van Tuinen, I was fortunate enough to make my principal role debut with Opera Australia at age 24, playing Marcello in La bohème. The program also provided access to Chris and soprano Emma Matthews AM for coaching and career advice. It even allowed me to travel to Europe for intensive German language courses and coaching with world-class directors and conductors. I’m planning to head back to Europe at the end of 2026 to build on those connections.
Going back a little, when and where did your passion for opera first begin?
When I was seven, my Mum got so tired of me singing along to her 20th-century musical theatre CDs that she dragged me to a singing lesson. I went in kicking and screaming—and emerged completely convinced! I soon fell in love with modern musical theatre. Eventually, three different teachers suggested I consider classical training. I auditioned for WAAPA right after high school and started training with the great Australian baritone, Michael Lewis OAM. In my very first lesson, he asked me: ‘So, do you want to just sing musicals, or do you actually want to be an opera singer?’ Being rather intimidated by one of Australia’s greatest Rigoletto’s, I immediately said, ‘No, I want to sing opera!’ I committed myself to the artform and very quickly fell head over heels in love with it.
Looking ahead, what else does 2026 have in store for you?
The rest of the year is quite busy! In April, I’m joining the OpusWA Orchestra for an Opera Gala concert with the celebrated Italian tenor Giuseppe Infantino. In May, I’ll be performing the baritone solo in Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with West Australian Opera and the UWA Orchestra and Chorus. Then, from June through September, I’ll be ‘Masetto-ing’ my way around the country on the Opera Conference National Tour of Don Giovanni with Opera Australia, before returning to Perth for Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette at His Majesty’s Theatre. You can follow my journey on Instagram @bendelborrello and on Facebook. I would love to see you there!
See Benjamin in West Australian Opera’s La traviata which is now showing at His Majesty’s Theatre until March 28. Book your tickets at http://www.waopera.asn.au