George Benjamin (composer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir George Benjamin
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Sir George William John Benjamin, born on January 31, 1960, is a famous English musician. He is a talented composer, conductor, pianist, and teacher. He has received a special honor called the CBE.
Contents
About George Benjamin
Early Life and Education
George Benjamin was born in London. He went to Westminster School. He started learning piano at a young age. From 1967 to 1974, he had private piano lessons with Marguerite Tury. He wrote his first music piece when he was just nine years old. He also took piano and composition lessons with Peter Gellhorn until he was 15.
After that, Gellhorn helped Benjamin continue his studies in Paris. He learned from Olivier Messiaen, a very famous composer. Messiaen reportedly called Benjamin his favorite student. Later, Benjamin studied music at King's College, Cambridge. There, he learned from Alexander Goehr and Robin Holloway.
Early Music Works
When Benjamin was still a student, his orchestral piece Ringed by the Flat Horizon was performed. This happened at The Proms in August 1980. This made him the youngest living composer to have music played at The Proms at that time. Two years later, his piece At First Light was performed.
Other important early works include Antara, written in 1987. His Three Inventions for chamber orchestra were created for the 75th Salzburg Festival in 1995. In 2002, the London Symphony Orchestra performed his piece Palimpsests. This was part of a special event called ‘By George’.
Operas and Collaborations
George Benjamin has written four operas. All of them have stories (librettos) written by Martin Crimp. Their first opera was Into the Little Hill, which premiered in 2006. It was later performed at the Royal Opera House in London.
Their second opera, Written on Skin, was first shown in July 2012. Benjamin himself conducted its UK premiere in March 2013. Their third opera, Lessons in Love and Violence, premiered in 2018. Their most recent opera, Picture a day like this, was first performed in 2023. Benjamin conducted this performance too.
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Conducting and Teaching
Benjamin is also a skilled conductor. He first conducted an opera, Pelléas et Mélisande, in 1999. He has led many first performances of music by other composers. In 1993, he helped organize the first Meltdown music festival in London. In 2010, he was the Music Director for the Ojai Music Festival in California.
From 2018 to 2019, Benjamin was the composer-in-residence with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This means he worked closely with them. Starting in September 2025, he will be the composer-in-residence for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
For 16 years, Benjamin taught music composition at the Royal College of Music in London. He then became a professor at King's College London in 2001. Some of his students include Luke Bedford and Dai Fujikura.
Awards and Honors
George Benjamin has received many important awards for his music. In 2019, he won the Golden Lion Award from the Venice Biennale for his lifetime achievements. Other awards include the Arnold Schönberg Prize in 2001. He also received the Prince Pierre of Monaco composition prize in 2015 for his opera Written on Skin.
In 2022, he received the Ivor Novello Award for his amazing collection of works. In 2023, he was given the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize. He also received the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in 2023.
Critics from The Guardian newspaper ranked Written on Skin as the second-best work of the 21st century in 2019. In 2024, his opera Picture a day like this was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award.
Benjamin is an honorary member of several famous music schools. These include King's College Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music. He was made a CBE in 2010. He was also knighted in 2017, which means he can be called "Sir George Benjamin."
Personal Life
George Benjamin lives in northwest London. His partner is Michael Waldman, a filmmaker. Michael Waldman has worked on films like The Day John Lennon Died.
Major Works
Opera
- Into the Little Hill (2006)
- Written on Skin (2009–2012)
- Lessons in Love and Violence (2015–2017)
- Picture a day like this (2023)
Orchestral Music
- Ringed by the Flat Horizon (1979–1980)
- A Mind of Winter (1981)
- Sudden Time (1989–1993)
- Three Inventions (1993–1995)
- Sometime Voices (1996)
- Palimpsests (2000–2002)
- Dance Figures (2004)
- Duet for piano and orchestra (2008)
- Dream of the Song (2014–2015)
- Concerto for Orchestra (2021)
Ensemble Music
- Octet for 8 players (1978)
- At First Light for 14 players (1982)
- Antara for 16 players and electronics (1987)
- Upon Silence for mezzo-soprano and viols/strings (1990)
- Olicantus for 15 players (2002)
Chamber and Instrumental Music
- Piano Sonata (1977–1978)
- Flight for solo flute (1979)
- Three Studies for piano (1982–1985)
- Viola, Viola for viola duo (1997)
- Shadowlines – six canonic preludes for piano (2001)
- Three Miniatures for solo violin (2001–2002)
- Piano Figures – ten short pieces for piano (2004)
See also
In Spanish: George Benjamin para niños
