Benita Valente (born October 19, 1934) is an American soprano whose career has encompassed the operatic stage as well as performance of lieder, chamber music and oratorio.
That same year she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and made her formal debut at the Marlboro Music Festival with famed pianist Rudolf Serkin, among others.
A regular at the Met, her many roles included Gilda in Rigoletto, Nanetta in Falstaff, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Ilia in Idomeneo and Almirena in Rinaldo.
In 1971 and 1972, Valente performed alongside modern dancer Mimi Kagan in the composer Earl Kim's work "Exercises en Route", which toured.
[5] Among the composers who have written music for Valente are William Bolcom, Alberto Ginastera, John Harbison, Libby Larsen and Richard Wernick.