Roger Benedict

Associate Professor Roger Benedict is a leading figure in music performance, conducting, and pedagogy at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, where he serves as Head of the Viola Department and Chief Conductor of the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra. His distinguished career as a violist includes serving as Principal Viola of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra since 2002 and previously as Principal Viola of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London from 1991 to 2000, along with guest principal roles in major UK orchestras. Benedict has performed as a soloist with ensembles such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa in Japan. As a chamber musician and recitalist, he has appeared at London's Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, at major festivals and concert series in Europe and Australia, and with ensembles including the New Zealand String Quartet, Tinalley String Quartet, and Sydney Soloists. Prior to joining the Sydney Conservatorium, he held a teaching position at the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK.

Increasingly active as a conductor, Roger Benedict leads subscription concerts with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House, City Recital Hall, and regional centers, and has worked with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Australian Youth Orchestra, and National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He has coached the European Union Youth Orchestra since 2000 and directed the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's Instrumental Fellowship Program for over two decades. His recordings include the debut recital album Volupté with pianist Timothy Young, featuring music by Charles Koechlin and Joseph Jongen (2010), selected as one of the top ten recordings of the year by theclassicalreview.com; Vaughan Williams' Flos Campi with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (2011); works by Hans Gál and Ernst Krenek (2014); and A Winter’s Tale, music by Schubert and Schumann with Simon Tedeschi on ABC Classics, nominated for a 2023 ARIA Award. Benedict is the author of Scale Up!, a new scales method for viola, serves as an editor and arranger, and contributes regularly to journals such as The Strad. He delivers masterclasses throughout Europe and Asia and adjudicates competitions including the Max Rostal Competition in Berlin and the Australia Young Performer Awards. As part of the Artistic Research cluster at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, he contributes to embodied research through performance and innovative pedagogical methods.

Professional Email: roger.benedict@sydney.edu.au