Sir GeorgeBenjamin

One of today’s most prominent composer-conductors, George Benjamin was born in 1960 and began composing at the age of seven.

During 2024/25 Benjamin will conduct the Paris premiere of Picture a day like this at the Opéra Comique, collaborating with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, whom he will conduct again later in the season at the Paris Philharmonie, focussing on works by Messiaen. He will also make his debut with the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome and return to the Lucerne Festival. The Boulez Saal will close their season with a series of events focusing on Benjamin’s compositions, where he will also perform as a conductor and pianist.

Over many years Benjamin has developed a particularly close association with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. They have played under his baton for the premiere performances of his Concerto for Orchestra at the 2021 BBC Proms as well as Written on Skin and Picture a day like this. Benjamin also has strong relationships with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Ensemble Modern.

Since 2001 Benjamin has been the Henry Purcell Professor of Composition at King‘s College London. He was knighted in 2017 and has received numerous honorary fellowships and international awards; most recently the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and Frontiers of Knowledge Award from the BBVA Foundation in Bilbao.

His works are published by Faber Music and are recorded on Nimbus Records.