Sir George Benjamin (born 1960, London) is a British composer, conductor and pianist whose music is admired for its meticulous orchestration and luminous sound. He studied with Olivier Messiaen in Paris and made his name at just 20 when Ringed by the Flat Horizon was played at the BBC Proms in 1980. His four operas written with playwright Martin Crimp - above all Written on Skin (2012) - have entered the repertoire of opera houses worldwide and placed him among the most significant composers of his generation.
Critics praised the 'shimmering marvel' of Benjamin's score in a new staging of Written on Skin directed by Tatjana Gürbaca.
Benjamin conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in a programme featuring his own Palimpsests, as part of his three-season residency.
The Nimbus Records live recording of Picture a day like this, with Benjamin conducting the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, won the Contemporary Award at the 2025 Gramophone Awards.
Benjamin became Composer-in-Residence at the London Philharmonic Orchestra, a three-season appointment in which he also mentors the LPO Young Composers programme.
Benjamin premiered his new work for piano four hands, Divisions, at the Boulez Saal in Berlin alongside pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
😴 Nothing scheduled with this artist in the near future.
61operaSun 25.10.I List och Lust
80concertTue 10.11.Maksim Mrvica
80concertSun 6.12.In a Winter Land
80concertTue 8.12.Music is Coming
80concertMon 15.2.The Music of Hans Zimmer - Lords of the Sound
75concertSun 18.10.Gala Concert - Ersta diakoni 175 Years
68concertSun 29.11.Piano Evening with Matti Hirvonen & Stina Ekblad
67concertSat 21.11.Concert: Gershwin to Bernstein
64concertWed 3.3.Outlander in Concert
61concertSun 18.10.Candlelight: The best of Hans Zimmer
61concertSun 13.12.Candlelight x Christmas Classics
concertBarbara Hannigan sings Messiaen and Zorn alongside pianist Bertrand Chamayou and composer George Benjamin in an experimental classical programme at Berwaldhallen.
concert(2 days)
George Benjamin conducts a programme featuring pianist Bertrand Chamayou and soprano Barbara Hannigan, spanning works by Ravel, Sibelius, Unsuk Chin, and Benjamin's own composition.