Richard Benjafield FGS GRNCM PPRNCM

Biography

Richard Benjafield studied at the RNCM, University of Ghana and Tanglewood Music Centre.  He has performed extensively with London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Nash Ensemble and Colin Currie Group. Richard is a founder member of Ensemble Bash, the first established percussion quartet in the UK. As well as commissioning and performing over forty new works, many now established as standard repertoire, since 1992 the quartet has toured worldwide, performed at the BBC Proms, recorded for Sony Classical, and established an influential programme of outreach work.

He has also recorded extensively for BBC Radio and TV, and collaborated with musicians including Steve Reich, Harrison Birtwistle, Melinda Maxwell, John Kenny, Stewart Copeland and Joanna MacGregor.  As a conductor Richard has directed BBC Total Immersion concerts of the music of Cage, Glass and Xenakis.

A professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama since 1995, Richard took up the position of Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion in 2009, and in 2013 he was honoured to be made a Fellow of the Guildhall School.