Roger Benedict
violist - conductor
Biography - Orchestra
Roger Benedict's first orchestral position, at the age of 22, was as a member of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and very soon afterwards he won a position in the London Philharmonic, which was at the time enjoying something of a golden age with conductors such as Klaus Tennstedt and Bernard Haitink at its helm. These figures have been a major influence on Roger's musical development ever since. After a brief period as principal viola in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Roger was appointed to the position of principal viola of London's Philharmonia Orchestra in 1991, at the age of 29, subsequently appearing on countless international tours and on close to 100 CD recordings with them. He left the Philharmonia in 2000 to dedicate more time to solo work, chamber music and conducting, while working as a regular principal with the English Chamber Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta. As a guest principal he has worked with every major orchestra in the UK, and many others overseas. In 2002 he accepted the position of principal viola with the Sydney Symphony, based at Sydney's iconic Opera House. He also finds time each year to perform as guest principal viola with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.