ERIC BENJAMIN, Associate Conductor, Akron Youth Symphony Music Director

In a sixth grade music class in his hometown of St. Albans, Eric Benjamin heard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King and decided to pursue music, first as a listener, then as a musician, playing baritone horn, piano, viola, guitar and singing, then as a public school teacher (Newton, Mass. North High) and now, as a composer and conductor.

Collegiate studies took him to the New England Conservatory for degrees in music education and orchestral conducting. His conducting mentors were Carl St. Clair, Gunther Schuller, Gustav Meier, Kurt Sanderling, and Leonard Bernstein.

Joining the conducting staff of the Akron Symphony in 1991, he is now associate conductor, directing the Akron Youth Symphony. A guest conductor with various community, university and festival orchestras throughout Ohio, he currently also serves as music director of the Alliance Symphony and the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra.

His compositions and arrangements have been performed by various orchestras locally and nationally. Several works have been commissioned by the Canton Symphony, including A Secret Gift (after the book by Ted Gup), An Occasional Overture and, as a centennial tribute to Leonard Bernstein, To LB:A Thank-You Note.

Learn about the Akron Youth Symphony.

https://ericbenjamincomposer.com/.