Benjamin is a classical pianist and composer, currently in his fourth year in the University of Toronto’s Bachelor of Music in Composition Program, studying composition under Dr. Roger Bergs. He has studied piano for 15 years and completed his ARCT in Piano Performance certification with the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2019. Benjamin currently leads the music at an evening worship service at Jubilee United Church in Toronto.
Biography
Benjamin’s compositions have received recognition by Toronto’s St. James Cathedral (for i thank you God for most this amazing day, one of two winners of the cathedral’s 2018-2019 composition competition), the Amadeus Choir International Seasonal Song-Writing Competition (honourable mention, 2015, for Ave Maria) and the Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Competition (honourable mention, 2017, for Lux Aeterna). In 2018, he was commissioned to write a highlight premiere for the Mississauga Summer Chorale’s end-of-season concert (Requiem l’homme armé). His works have been described by conductors and composers as filling a demand in the Canadian choral scene for compositionally and technically adventurous choral music that still follows in a tradition with mainstream appeal. Through U of T, he has been the recipient of the Susan Cale Award (2017), the Robert and John Elliot McBroom Scholarship (2017, 2018, 2019), the Lobodowsky Choral Scholarship (2018), and the Gwendolen M Grant Music Scholarship (2019).
