Netherlands Radio Choir & Benjamin Goodson
Biography Netherlands Radio Choir & Benjamin Goodson
Benjamin Goodson
Born in Hertfordshire, UK, Benjamin Goodson studied music at Hertford College, Oxford. Benjamin studied conducting with Sir Colin Davis, Paul Spicer, Peter Stark and Ulrich Windfuhr. Three years after graduating, Benjamin was appointed Director of Music at Somerville College, becoming the University of Oxford's youngest Director of Music. Benjamin now teaches conducting as a lecturer at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam.
Benjamin Goodson is the chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir. He was appointed as the youngest chief conductor of any major European ensemble. Following three seasons of inspirational partnership and critical acclaim for their performances together, Benjamin extended his contract to ensure their collaboration will continue until at least the summer of 2027.
Benjamin also works as a guest conductor with many of the other most prominent choral ensembles, including BBC Singers, Rundfunkchor Berlin, SWR Vokalensemble, Collegium Vocale Gent, MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig, NDR Rundfunkchor Hamburg.
A cappella and new music: With razor-sharp ears and a passion for moulding choral sound, Benjamin is regularly invited to conduct the central 20th-century a cappella repertoire. He is also committed to performing and commissioning new music, with contemporary pieces featuring prominently in nearly all of his concert programmes. Benjamin has commissioned or given the first performances of works by composers such as Sir James MacMillan, Jonathan Dove, Roxanna Panufnik, Peter-Jan Wagemans, Baart Visman, and others. He has performed and recorded some of the most technically challenging choral scores in the repertoire, including those by Feldman, Berio, Ligeti, Friederich Cerha, and Steve Reich.
