Ben Luxon was born and raised in Cornwall, England, in 1937. He died July 26 after a long illness at his Sandisfield home.

    Luxon was a world-renowned opera singer. A baritone, he graced almost all of the world’s major Operatic stages and concert halls with an astonishing array of roles. He worked with most of the world’s leading conductors and orchestras alongside many of the other great singers of the 20th Century. He made more than one-hundred recordings ranging from Monteverdi to an album of Don Maclean covers, exhibiting an astounding ability to bring his own unique brand of musical honesty and intelligence to anything he turned his hand to – be that Early Music, Oratorio, Victorian ballads, Grand Opera, or folk song.

    He was a regular soloist with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony, at Tanglewood and in Boston.

    Ben was presented with the order of CBE (Commander of the British Empire), a high honor, by the Queen of England in 1986.

    Luxon came to fame as a member of Benjamin Britten’s English Opera Group. On tour of the Soviet Union in 1963, he sang the roles, Sid and Tarquinium in Britten’s operas “Albert Herring” and “The Rape of Lucretia.” Britten composed the title role in “Owen Wyngrave” specifically for him.

    Luxon remains prized for the intelligence of his unfettered directness of expression. Dame Janet Baker who starred with him as Ulysses, in Monteververd’s Opera “Il Ritorno d’Ulysses in Partria,” recently wrote to Ben, telling him, “I never had anyone work with me dramatically who could match you sound-wise and in the passion you gave to every character, particularly Ulysses and of the huge admiration you deserve for your work in the field of Lieder, which I believe tests us artists to the utmost.”

    On the lighter side, Ben enjoyed singing folk music, collaborating with his good friend, banjo player and wellknown singer Bill Crofut, with an ensemble of recorders, guitars, lutes, fiddle, and bass.

    In 1990, he suffered the onset of hearing loss which signaled the end of his singing career. With renewed vigor he moved into performance of the spoken word.

    He took on such roles as Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” performed “The Soldier’s Tale” by Stravinsky as a one-man show with a dancer, accompanied by a chamber group (presented by Close Encounters with music). He performed Tennyson’s “Enoch Arden,” piano music by Richard Strauss, many times, including special occasions when he had the joy of being accompanied by his grandson, pianist Josh Luxon-Robinson.

    Ben Luxon’s unstoppable and indefatigable urge to get things done and his extraordinary drive and determination drove him no matter what the task or project.

    Whether it was countless hours of weeding his infamous vegetable patch, chain sawing and splitting at least five cords of wood per year, performing, or narrating great works with the Boston Symphony, he was committed and relentless.

    In 2012 he formed a local troupe, “The Sandisfield Players” in the Sandisfield Arts Center in his home town, assembling a group of amateur actors of all levels who performed numerous plays until recently. Their first production,”Rascals and Others,” cowritten and directed by Ben, was an historical amalgam for Sandisfield’s sestercentennial (250th) anniversary celebration. This was followed by a superb rendition of Thorton Wilder’s iconic American play, “Our Town,” and later productions that included the challenging “Under Milkwood” to a delightful rendition of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

    The high point for the Sandisfield Players was when Ben brought the production of "Our Town" in 2016 to his native Cornwall for a full weeks’ performances at the famous cliffside Minack Theater. The Players was the first American company to perform “Our Town” at the Minack.

    Ben is survived by his wife, Susie Crofut, his children: Rachel, Dan, Jonathan, and Emily and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

    Ben Luxon’s extraordinary talent, work ethic, vital energy, musical virtuosity, and versatility has left an indelible mark on all who knew him and millions who knew and admired his voice.

    A local memorial service will be announced later.

    The Times will publish special tributes to Ben Luxon in our September issue. Please send your recollections and remembrances of this extraordinary individual to us at editor@ sandisfieldtimes.org.

    Limit your comments to 150 words or so, and email photos you would like to include. We will publish as many as we can.