Quick Facts
Biography
Tim Benjamin (born 14 September 1975) is an Anglo-French composer. He won the Stephen Oliver Trust's Prize for Contemporary Opera, for his first opera The Bridge (to a libretto by David Edgar).
Biography
Tim Benjamin was born on 14 September 1975, grew up in North London and attended Christ's Hospital school. 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 and is married with a daughter, Violet.
Music
Benjamin primarily 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 2010. His second opera, The Corley Conspiracy, was performed in September 2007 at the Southbank Centre, London.
His opera Emily (libretto by the composer) was first performed at the Todmorden Hippodrome in July 2013.
His opera Madame X (libretto by Anthony Peter) was performed at the Grimeborn 2014 festival.
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.
Legacy
In 2015, Benjamin founded the Steve Martland Scholarship for young composers at the Sound and Music Summer School, in honour of his former mentor.