Ben Opie

Opie was born in Victoria, Australia. He holds degrees from the Australian National University, and the Johannes Gutenberg Hochschule für Musik in Germany.[https://www.sfcv.org/content/music-news-may-12-2009 "Music News"]. San Francisco Classical Voice, May 12, 2009. Janos Gereben With colleagues from the ANU, Opie formed the Windswept Wind Quintet, which performed on national ABC radio, as well as in master classes, competitions and organised regional tours of South Australia.

Opie earned a Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2009. He studied with performance teachers Susan Harvey, Geoffrey Lancaster and Genevieve Lacey.{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Ben Opie|url=https://www.onlinevirtuoso.com/author/ben_opie/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-20|website=Online Virtuoso|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126142845/https://www.onlinevirtuoso.com/author/ben_opie/ |archive-date=2021-01-26 }}

Opie has performed with a number ensembles, including Ensemble Parallelle, Blue Print New Music Ensemble, Magik*Magik Orchestra and Ensemble Resonanz.[https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/sight-sound "Sight and Sound"]. San Francisco Classical Voice, By Michelle Dulak Thomson, October 16, 2007 as well as performers such as Rosalind Halton, Alice Evans, Corey Jamason, and Brett Weymark.

Opie has performed in Germany, France, Bahrain, US and Australia as a soloist, ensemble and orchestral musician.

Opie has performed with a number of Australia's orchestras, including taking on the role of acting associate principal oboe with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Opie was acting principal oboe of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and again in 2012. He was the principal oboe of the Sydney Chamber Opera in 2011.[http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/grotesque-burlesque-makes-for-arresting-theatre-20111127-1o1do.html "Grotesque burlesque makes for arresting theatre"]. Sydney Morning Herald, November 28, 2011 .Reviewed by Peter McCallum In 2012 Opie was principal oboe with the Opera Australia Oz Opera touring orchestra. He was acting associate principal oboe of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and 2013.

Opie was presented with the Phyllis C Wattis Foundation Scholarship, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music award for new music, the 42nd International Summer Course for New Music Scholarship, Darmstadt, the Carmel Music Competition Finalist and the Inaugural Double Reed Challenge, section Oboe winner.

In 2015, Opie was a guest on ABC Classic FM's Keys to Music with Graham Abbott, where he both performed and discussed the oboe in detail.[http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2015/02/15/4161069.htm "The Oboe"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316042121/http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2015/02/15/4161069.htm |date=2015-03-16 }}. Heys to Music, ABC Classical FM, 15 Feb 2015.

In 2017 it was announced that Ben would be the Artistic Director of the Peninsula Summer Music Festival on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula from 2019. His first festival presented a record number of events, and added new strands of kids and community programming.

In 2000, Opie performed at the Barossa Music Festival in collaboration with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ residency.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} In 2002, he participated in a World Orchestra formed in conjunction with the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, performing both as principal oboist and as a soloist.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

In 2004, Opie performed at the 2004 Darmstadt International Summer Course for New Music in Germany, working with Ensemble Resonanz, Jennifer Dill and Peter Veale, among others.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} He later played principal oboe with the RIAS Jugendorchester, performing at the opening of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the 2006 Museumsinsel Festival in Berlin and the acclaimed Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg Festival.{{cite web|last=Gereben |first=Janos |url=http://www.sfcv.org/content/music-news-may-12-2009 |title=Music News May 12, 2009 : San Francisco Classical Voice |publisher=Sfcv.org |date=2009-05-12 |accessdate=2013-02-22}}

In 2005 and 2006, Opie performed several times in the Middle East with the Manama Singers as part of the Bahrain Music Festival in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.

While undertaking his master's degree in San Francisco, Opie was involved with Nicole Paiement’s Ensemble Parallele and Blueprint Music Ensemble, which perform mainly new music, including that of composers Luciano Chessa, David Garner and Dan Becker.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} For his work with the Blue Print Ensemble, the San Francisco Conservatory honoured Opie with the New Music Ensemble Award in 2009.{{cite web|last=Dulak |first=Michelle |url=http://www.sfcv.org/reviews/music-light-shadow |title=Music of Light and Shadow : San Francisco Classical Voice |publisher=Sfcv.org |date=2009-03-07 |accessdate=2013-02-22}}

In San Francisco, Opie was principal oboe with Minna Choi’s Magik*Magik Orchestra,{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} which combines the music of independent rock musicians and classical artists.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} The Magik*Magik Orchestra acts as the studio orchestra of John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone Studios.

He worked with award winning poet, Cecilia White on their “Breathing Space” performance series, exploring the connection between music and poetry.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} Opie has been involved in the artistic direction, curation and performances of Breathing Space.{{cite web|url=http://www.ceciliawhite.com/the-breathing-space-projects |title=The Breathing Space Projects |publisher=Cecilia White |date= |accessdate=2013-02-22}} He performed and improvised as part of Gretchen Miller’s “Ariadne Project”, a Radio National documentary which allowed the listener to contribute short stories and anecdotes about divorce and separation.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/360/the-ariadne-project/3829396 |title=The Ariadne Project - 360documentaries - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |publisher=Abc.net.au |date= 14 February 2012|accessdate=2013-02-22}}

Opie performs with Melissa Doecke and Peter de Jager[http://classicmelbourne.com.au/appeal-oboe/ " Appeal of the Oboe"]. Classical Melbourne, 10 September 2014. Suzanne Yanko as chamber music partners[http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/arts/ben-opies-oboe-blows-listeners-away-with-its-unusual-warmth/story-fni6um8e-1226870800975?nk=9f2dc36ab2ecc4ce7996b23b7779c3af "Ben Opie’s oboe blows listeners away with its unusual warmth"| The Advertiser] They performed as part of the new Hamer Hall’s Riverside Live series.{{cite web|url=http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/event/riverside-live |title=Riverside Live : Ben Opie, Melissa Doecke & Peter de Jager : Riverside Mezzanine, Hamer Hall : 7.Dec.12 : Event |publisher=Australian Music Centre |date=2012-12-07 |accessdate=2013-02-22}} As the Inventi Ensemble they have performed in festivals and other venues in several countries in Europe a well as the United States and Australia.[http://www.pressreader.com/australia/shepparton-news/20151202/281741268343108 "Free Music for all"]. Shepparton News, 2015-12-02 - via PressReader[http://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue129/12075 "An abundance of imagery—aural, visual, imagined"]. RealTime Arts. issue #129 Oct-Nov 2015 pg. 38

Opie and de Jager have recorded an album, French Oboe Sonatas, at the Master Performers recording studio in Brisbane.[http://www.fanfaremag.com/index.php?option=com_ff_toc&rqissue=382&rqdeptcode=zz4&rqpage=0 "Collections: Instrumental"]{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. FanFare. (subscription required) They also performed this repertoire as part of the Stones of the Yarra Music in the Chapel music series in early 2013.,{{cite web |url=http://leader.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802084053/http://leader.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-08-02 |title=Leader Community ePaper |publisher=Leader.newspaperdirect.com |accessdate=2013-02-22 }} the Melbourne Recital Centre:,{{Cite web |url=http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/events/ben-opie-peter-de-jager |title=Ben Opie & Peter de Jager |access-date=2017-02-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213000647/http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/events/ben-opie-peter-de-jager |archive-date=2017-02-13 |url-status=dead }} Ngeringa Arts Centre {{Cite web|url=http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/event/inventi-ensemble-at-ngeringa-arts-centre|title = Inventi Ensemble at Ngeringa Arts Centre : Ngeringa Arts Centre : 27.Sep.15 : Event : Australian Music Centre}}

Cellist Michael Bardon and Opie have developed the Myriad Ensemble, performing their “Twisted Fairy Tales” repertoire as part of the Feast Festival in Adelaide and participating in the Manning Winter Festival.[https://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/story/185894/arts-awards-presented-at-taree-winter-festival-opening/?cs=4125 "Arts awards presented at Taree Winter Festival opening"]. Manning River Times, Jun 11, 2012[http://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/story/2395562/manning-winter-festival-outstanding-success/ " Manning Winter Festival outstanding success"]. Manning River Times

4 Jul 2014,

In 2015 the Inventi Ensemble held a crowdsourcing campaign to fund production of their first album.

Opie established twice weekly interactive music workshops at Melbourne's immigration detention centres that have been running since 2014.{{Cite web |url=http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/blog/making-music-more-accessible |title=Transcending, transforming and transporting: Music behind bars |access-date=2017-02-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212164802/http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/blog/making-music-more-accessible |archive-date=2017-02-12 |url-status=dead }} He has also created custom music demonstrations for members from Vision Australia.

Opie was also involved in Elisabeth Lowry’s Music2Go Program which involved performing in schools, aged care facilities, hospitals and community outreach programs in the Bay Area of San Francisco.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} He collaborated with many different musicians, including Leonie Bot, Michelle Kwon, Lucas Chen, Krisjana Thorsteinson and Amy Sedan.

In Australia, Opie performed with the Chambermaids Wind Quintet,{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} participating in the Musica Viva ‘In Schools’ program. In addition to this, Opie performs with the West Australian Symphony's Echo program, another community outreach.{{cite web|url=http://www.waso.com.au/education/education/pre_school |title=Pre-School & Primary Students: West Australian Symphony Orchestra |publisher=Waso.com.au |date= |accessdate=2013-02-22}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.benopie.com.au Official website]
• http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/event/riverside-live
• http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/360/the-ariadne-project/3829396
• http://www.peninsulafestival.com.au/
• https://www.inventiensemble.com/

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Category:1981 births

Category:Living people

Category:Australian classical oboists