Joseph Benton
(1898 - 1975)
Profession: Opera Singer
Hometown: Norman
Inducted: 1951
Joseph Benton was born in Kansas City in 1898, but his family moved to Sayre, Oklahoma, just months after his birth. After graduating high school in 1916, he moved to Norman where he studied Spanish, French, and Voice at the University of Oklahoma. In 1923 he continued studying in France under Jean de Reszke and made his operatic debut in La Traviata near Bologna, Italy, in 1928 as Giuseppe Bentonelli. By 1934 he was chosen as one of the four most popular tenors in Italy.
After becoming famous in Europe for his opera talents, Benton became the leading tenor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He debuted in Puccini's Tosca with the Chicago Grand Opera Company. He continued to work in New York and Chicago, as well as toured with the Metropolitan Opera and Quartet. By 1940 he returned to the University of Oklahoma to teach as a Professor of Voice, and became chair of the Department of Music in 1944. While teaching, he completed his Master's degree in modern languages, before retiring in 1969.
In 1973 he published his memoir, Oklahoma Tenor: Memories of Giuseppe Bentonelli, that followed his experiences in Europe. Benton demonstrated the wide range of talents that Oklahoman's can possess and impacted the global opera world, performing in over 500 productions throughout his career in Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Egypt, Yugoslavia, Canada, and the United States.
Want to learn more?
Click below to listen to an interview with Joseph Benton, recorded for the Oklahoma Living Legends Library on November 17, 1969.