Conducting Conundrums: Why won’t the orchestra follow me? Why do they play behind the beat? 

Roger Benedict has earned a reputation as a musician’s musician, a conductor of deep musical convictions and a highly engaging performer and communicator. He is currently Chief Conductor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and in demand as a freelance conductor, regularly conducting major Australian orchestras such as the Sydney Symphony and the Adelaide Symphony. 

Passionate about working with emerging artists, for nearly twenty years Roger was Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony’s celebrated Fellowship Program, and is a frequent conductor of Australian Youth Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra (UK) programs. He also believes music can highlight social justice issues and for the last 9 years has been involved, with Orchestra for Life, in staging fundraising concerts for suicide prevention and Indigenous mental health charities.

Roger is also an acclaimed viola player. He was principal viola in the Philharmonia Orchestra, London for nine years and in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for sixteen. As a viola soloist he 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, Canberra Symphony, New Zealand Symphony and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (Japan). Roger has released several highly acclaimed solo recordings on the Melba and ABC Classics/Universal labels.