Benjamin started to play the cello at the age of seven. In his early years he enjoyed success winning the outstanding performance award four times running at the National Music for Youth Festival in England with his quartet which led to two performances at the Royal Albert Hall. Subsequently he studied with Sue Lowe, Alexander Baillie and Nicholas Trygstad before commencing his undergraduate studies as a scholarship student at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) where his teacher was Hannah Roberts.

After gaining his 1st class Bachelor of Music with Honours, Ben then continued his studies at the RNCM doing a Post Graduate Diploma in Performance studying under Ralph Kirshbaum which he received with distinction. During his time at the RNCM Ben played in many of the international Chamber Music festivals and won both the Sir John Barbirolli Cello Prize and was awarded the highest grade in the RNCM Concerto Competition which led to a performance of the Dvorak Cello concerto with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra. Ben has also been successful in gaining three Major Music Education Awards from the Musicians Benevolent fund including coming runner up in the Guilhermina Suggia gift. In 2010 Ben also won the Muriel Taylor Scholarship in London and was also the recipient of the Jellinek award from the Croydon concerto Competition. Ben has also recently been awarded the EMCY Special Prize from the Witold Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in Warsaw, Poland.

Ben has performed many concertos and recitals throughout the United Kingdom, France Spain and Germany. He has also performed at many of the international music festivals such as the Kuhmo international Chamber music Festival in Finland and the Prades international Pablo Casals Festival. He has also appeared in public master classes with cellists such as Arto Noras, Raphael Wallfisch, Philip Muller, Karine Georgian, Frans Helmerson, Anner Bylsma and Gary Hoffman.

As well as solo playing Ben enjoys playing chamber music and has appeared on a regular basis with the Lindsay String Quartet and the Dante String Quartet playing at the Dante Cornwall festival in such works as the Brahms Sextets and Schubert Quintet. Ben made his Wigmore Hall debut last year playing the Debussy Cello Sonate, then joining with the Dantes for the Mendelssohn Octet. Ben also enjoys Orchestral playing and during his time in Manchester was awarded the Manchester Camerata professional experience scheme and also plays with the Halle Orchestra. Ben has also appeared as Principle Cello of the Britten-Pears Orchestra in the Alderbrough Festival and Co Principle of the City of London Chamber Orchestra. He has also been principle of the RNCM Symphony, String, Chamber and Concert Orchestras.

Ben is now studying in Basel in Switzerland on the Specialised Soloist Masters course under Thomas Demenga. This intensive performance course culminates in a concerto performance with the Basel Symphony Orchestra at the end of the course.

Listen to Benjamin perform here.

Repertoire

Solo:

J.S Bach, Suite No.1 in G Major for Solo Cello (BWV 1007)
J.S Bach, Suite No.2 in D minor for Solo Cello (BWV 1008)
J.S Bach, Suite No.3 in C Major for Solo Cello (BWV 1009)
J.S Bach, Suite No.4 in E Flat Major for Solo Cello (BWV 1010)
J.S Bach, Suite No.6 in D Major for Solo Cello (BWV 1012)
B. Britten, Suite No.1 for Solo Cello (Opus 72)
B. Britten, Suite No.3 for Solo Cello (Opus 87)
T. Demenga, 'Efeu' For Solo Cello
W. Lutoslawski, Sacher Variations for Solo Cello
K. Penderecki, Divertimento For Solo Cello

With Piano:

J.S Bach, Gamba Sonata No.2 in D Major (BWV 1028)
L. Boccherini, Sonata No. 6 in A Major (G.4)
L. Boccherini, Sonata No.2 in C Major
J.B.S Breval, Sonata in C (Op.40, No. 1)
C. Debussy, Sonate pour Violencelle et Piano
L. van Beethoven, Sonata for Cello And Piano No.3 in A Major (Op.69)
L. van Beethoven, Sonata for Cello and Piano No.4 in C Major (Op.102, No.1)
L. van Beethoven, Sonata for Cello and Piano No.5 in D Major (Op. 102, No. 2)
J. Brahms, Sonata in E Minor (Op. 38)
J. Brahms, Sonata in F Major (Op. 99)
B. Britten, Sonata in C for Cello and Piano (Op. 65)
D. Shostakovich, Sonata in D minor (Op. 40)
F. Chopin, Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor (Op. 65)
F. Chopin, Polonaise Brillante for Cello and Piano in C Major (Op. 3)
B. Martinu, Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1 (Op. 277)
B. Martinu, Variations on a Slovakian Theme (H. 378)
B. Martinu, Variations on a Theme by Rossini (Op. 290)
R. Schumann, Fantasiestucke for Cello and Piano (Op. 73)
R. Schumann, Fünf Stücke im Volkston (Op.102)
R. Schumann, Adagio and Allegro for Cello and Piano (Op. 70)
W. Lutoslawski, Grave -  Metamorphoses for Cello and Piano
I. Stravinsky, Suite Italienne for Cello and Piano
N. Paganini, Variations on a theme of Moses by Rossini on one string for Cello and Piano
F. Schubert, Arpeggione Sonata in A minor (D 821)
C. Davidoff, At the fountain (Op.20, No.2)
G. Faure, Elegie (Op. 24)
C. Saint-Saens, Allegro Appassionato (Op. 70)
D. Popper, Spinning Song (Op. 55)
D. Popper, Elfentanz (Op. 39)
P.I. Tchaikovsky, Pezzo Capriccioso (Op. 62)

With Orchestra:

L. Boccherini, Concerto in G Major (G. 480)
A. Vivaldi, Double Cello Concerto in G minor (RV 531)
J.S. Bach, Cello Concerto in C minor
A. Schönberg, after G.M Monn, Concerto in G minor
R. Schumann, Cello Concerto in A minor (Op. 129)
E. Elgar, Cello Concerto in E minor (Op. 85)
A. Dvorak, Cello Concerto in B minor (Op. 104)
J. Haydn, Cello Concerto in C Major (Hob V11b/1)
J. Haydn, Cello Concerto in D Major (Hob V11b/2)
D. Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No.1 in E Flat Major (Op. 107)
D. Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No.2 (Op. 126)
W. Walton, Cello Concerto
G. Solima, Violencelles Vibrez for Two Cellos and String Orchestra

If you are interested in working with Benjamin, please get in touch with the EMCY Office.