Bennett William Macpherson is an Australian conductor who received a

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2002 for his services to music as a conductor and

choirmaster A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

Early life

Macpherson was originally a student member of the Perth University Choral Society (PUCS) from 1972 to 1978. During this time, he performed a number of roles including president and assistant conductor of PUCS and also

Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association The Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival is an annual event in which members of university choirs from all state capitals of Australia and the national capital Canberra meet for two weeks to rehearse, socialise and perform combined conce ...

treasurer. He was later a member of SUMS before becoming a musical director and conductor in 1983.

Middle years

Macpherson was the conductor of the

Sydney University Musical Society The Sydney University Musical Society (SUMS) is an undergraduate choral society at the University of Sydney. Founded in 1878, it is one of the oldest secular choirs in Australia, and the oldest Australian University Choir. SUMS has performed ma ...

(SUMS) for 23 years until his retirement in May 2006. He was SUMS' second longest serving musical director by two and a half years. His final concert with SUMS was a production of Felix Mendelssohn's ''

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

'' performed in collaboration with the

Sydney University Symphony Orchestra The Sydney University Symphony Orchestra (SUSO) is the premier orchestra on the main campus of the University of Sydney. History Sydney University Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1948 by Donald Peart, and was known as the Pro Musica Orchestr ...

. Macpherson conducted the choir in ventures such as

Carl Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata '' Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Carl ...

's ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent ...

'',

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

's ''Vespers'',

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

's ''Messa de Gloria'', Mozart's ''

Große Messe ''Great Mass in C minor'' (german: Große Messe in c-Moll, links=no), K. 427/417a, is the common name of the musical setting of the mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which is considered one of his greatest works. He composed it in Vienna in 1782 ...

'', Hector Berlioz's ''Te Deum'', Anton Bruckner's ''Te Deum'', and nearly half of SUMS' 49 Annual Festival of Carols (Carolfest). Macpherson also led the choir in collaboration with works with other arts organisations including the

SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra The SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra (SBS Youth Orchestra) located in Sydney, was one of the premier youth orchestras of Australia. It was founded in 1988 by the Russian-born conductor Matthew Krel, who died in 2009. It was disbanded in 2 ...

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is Australia’s largest choral organisation. It presents its own annual concert series in the Sydney Opera House the City Recital Hall, and other venues in New South Wales, as well as serving as chorus for the Sydney ...

, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir (SGLC),

Sydney Youth Orchestra Sydney Youth Orchestras (SYO) provides a pathway for hundreds of young musicians from beginner to pre-professional to connect, create and champion orchestral music. Musicians are welcome to audition annually and are placed in orchestras and ens ...

Harvard Glee Club The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, Tenor-Bass choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the United States. The Glee Club is part of the H ...

, and numerous school choirs.

Awards

Macpherson was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division during the 2002 Australia Day honours. This award was in recognition of his dedication to choral music within Australia, primarily through his involvement in the

(AICSA) and in SUMS. In 2002, Macpherson was chorus master of the Sydney Intervarsity Choral Festival. His award was announced on 23 January to the festival choir ahead of the actual award ceremony on

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port ...

(26 January). Macpherson has chorus mastered and/or conducted numerous Intervarsity Choral Festivals (Canberra '89, Melbourne '91, Sydney '95, Perth '97, Melbourne '98 and Sydney '02) and has been a constant figure in the recent history of the AICSA movement.

Other arts organisations

Aside from his contributions to both SUMS and AICSA, Macpherson has been involved in many other arts organisations. He has been a member of the Sydney Chamber Choir, the

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...

Chorus and Cantillation. He has acted as chorus master for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Macpherson, as an accomplished orchestral conductor, has conducted the Taverner Consort of Voices, the Sydney Chamber Choir, the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra, the SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra, the Sydney Youth Orchestra, and the Orange Regional Conservatorium .

References

External links

Sydney University Musical Society website

Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association website

Ben Macpherson
at the

Australian Music Centre The Australian Music Centre (AMC), formerly known briefly as Sounds Australian, is a national organisation promoting and supporting art music in Australia, founded in 1974. It co-hosts the Art Music Awards along with APRA AMCOS, and publishes ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macpherson, Ben Australian conductors (music) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian choral conductors 21st-century conductors (music)