Melba Recordings

Roger Benedict (Viola)

Roger Benedict’s wide-ranging career has encompassed work as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, teacher and conductor. In January 2002, he moved from the United Kingdom to Australia to take up positions of Principal Viola of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the orchestra’s Fellowship Program.

A highly sought-after teacher, he was a Professor at the Royal Northern College of Music from 1997–2002, and is a Tutor to the European Union Youth Orchestra. Roger Benedict is currently Senior Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium, a Visiting Artist at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, and gives master classes worldwide. His students have won positions in major orchestras and ensembles all over the world.

From 1991–2000 Roger was Principal Viola of the Philharmonia Orchestra, London, and has performed as a guest principal with every major UK orchestra. He is also regularly invited to perform as guest principal viola with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe

As a viola soloist Roger Benedict has appeared with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra in the UK as well as the Sydney Symphony in Australia and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa in Japan. With the Sydney Symphony he gave performances of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in 2002 and 2004, Berlioz’s Harold in Italy in November 2005 and Andrew Ford’s The Unquiet Gravein 2007. In October 2009 he gave three performances of Vaughan Williams’ Flos Campi with the orchestra.

As both recitalist and chamber musician, Roger Benedict has appeared at London’s Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, as well as at all the major festivals and concert series in the UK. His chamber music partners have included such musicians as Lorin Maazel, Sir Simon Rattle, Louis Lortie and Leif Ove Andsnes. In Australia he performs widely as a chamber musician, as a guest with such groups as the Macquarie Trio Australia and Sydney Soloists. Other engagements have included chamber concerts and recitals in Scandinavia, South Africa, the Middle East and Japan.Roger Benedict plays a fine Carlo Antonio Testore viola made in Milan in 1753.