Tim Benjamin (composer)

Tim Benjamin was born in 1975, grew up in North London and attended Christ's Hospital school.{{cite news|last1=Benjamin|first1=Tim|title=My Calder Valley|url=http://www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk/news/my-calder-valley-by-tim-benjamin-talented-musicians-and-singers-were-on-my-doorstep-1-5801980|access-date=25 May 2016|work=Hebden Bridge Times|location=Hebden Bridge|date=30 June 2013|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906133800/http://www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk/news/my-calder-valley-by-tim-benjamin-talented-musicians-and-singers-were-on-my-doorstep-1-5801980}}{{cite web|title=Meet the Artist|url=https://crosseyedpianist.com/2012/08/02/meet-the-artist-tim-benjamin-composer/|website=The Cross Eyed Pianist|date=2 August 2012 |access-date=1 February 2018}}

He studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music under Anthony Gilbert, privately with Steve Martland and with Robert Saxton at the University of Oxford.

He lives in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.{{when|date=January 2022}}

Benjamin composes chamber-sized one-act operas for performance in small theatres and non-standard spaces.

His first opera The Bridge (to a libretto by David Edgar) won the Stephen Oliver Trust's Prize for Contemporary Opera in 1994, resulting in its performance as part of the Covent Garden Festival in 1998.

His second opera, The Corley Conspiracy, was performed in September 2007 at the Southbank Centre, London.{{cite web|url=https://radiusopera.org/productions/the-corley-conspiracy/|title=The Corley Conspiracy|access-date=26 October 2021|publisher=Radius Opera}}

His opera Emily (libretto by the composer) was first performed at the Todmorden Hippodrome in July 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.todmordennews.co.uk/arts-and-culture/review-john-clarke-haunting-hypnotic-entrancing-emily-2690946|title=Review by John Clarke: Haunting, hypnotic, entrancing Emily|website=Todmordennews.co.uk|access-date=26 July 2020}}

His opera Madame X (libretto by Anthony Peter) was performed at the Grimeborn 2014 festival.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.exacteditions.com/read/opera/november-2014-40297/72/3|title=Review|author=Yehuda Shapiro|magazine=Opera|date=November 2014|access-date= 10 November 2014|via=exacteditions.com}}{{subscription required}}

His twin operas Rest In Peace (libretto translated and adapted by the composer, after Chekhov) and Silent Jack (libretto by the composer and Anthony Peter) were performed at the 2015 Tête-à-Tête Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tete-a-tete.org.uk/event/life-stories/|title=Life Stories|website=Tete-a-tete.org.uk|access-date=26 July 2020}}

Benjamin won the BBC Young Composer of the Year award in 1993 with his piece Antagony.

In 1996 he won the Stephen Oliver Prize, for his first opera The Bridge (to a libretto by David Edgar).{{cite web |url = http://www.stephenoliver.org/section1.asp |title = The Stephen Oliver Trust |website = Stephenoliver.org |access-date = 25 August 2010 |archive-date = 2 April 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180402192115/http://www.stephenoliver.org/section1.asp |url-status = dead }} The prize, which was worth £10,000, was awarded to a young composer for a new work of comic opera. During 1997 and 1998 the Stephen Oliver Trust worked with the Royal Northern College of Music and the 1998 BOC Covent Garden Festival to achieve the performance of his winning opera, and that of the 1994 winner, David Horne's Travellers. Both operas were brought to the stage in June 1998, as part of the 1998 Covent Garden Festival.{{cite web | title=News | website=Stephen Oliver | url=https://stephenoliverorg.wordpress.com/news-2/ | access-date=16 January 2022| date=2017}}

In 2015, Benjamin founded the Steve Martland Scholarship for young composers at the Sound and Music Summer School, in honour of his former mentor.{{cite web|title=Summer School – The Steve Martland Scholarships|url=http://soundandmusic.org/projects/steve-martland-scholarship-fund|website=Soundandmusic.org|access-date=25 May 2016}}

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Category:1975 births

Category:Living people

Category:English opera composers

Category:English male opera composers

Category:20th-century English classical composers

Category:21st-century English classical composers

Category:Composers from London

Category:People educated at Christ's Hospital

Category:20th-century English male musicians

Category:20th-century English musicians

Category:21st-century English male musicians

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