Benjamin P. Wenzelberg ’21 is a Conductor, Countertenor, Composer, Pianist, and US Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He is proud to be co-Music Directing and conducting MSO for the third season, and to be a part of such a wonderful musical community of fantastic friends! Benjy is honored to have made his conducting debut with the Boston Pops at Boston’s Symphony Hall in June 2018, and to attend the Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Seminar, perform as a vocal soloist at the American Bach Soloists Academy, and perform as the vocal soloist in the world premiere of a commissioned composition of his with Orchestra 2001, this past summer. He was selected to work with Marin Alsop for the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program in Orchestral Conducting in 2018, and made his European composition and conducting debut as part of the Ink Still Wet Composer/Conductor workshop at the Grafenegg Festival in Austria. He was the winning composer/conductor for his pieces for full orchestra in both 2016 and 2018, with one performed by the Tonkünstler Orchestra at the Vienna Musikverein’s Golden Hall.
Benjy is the Music Director and conductor of Harvard College Opera’s 2020 production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Vice President of Arts on their Board, after Music Directing and conducting Massenet’s Cendrillon (2019) and performing the role of Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus (2018) with the company. He has also served as the Assistant Music Director of Lowell House Opera, New England’s oldest opera company, sings with the Harvard University Choir, and has performed as a vocal soloist and collaborative pianist, as well as having compositions of his performed, on campus. Recent campus performances include the opportunity to perform for Chancellor Angela Merkel as part of the 2019 Harvard Honorary Degrees Dinner, as well as the Faculty Reception for newly inaugurated Harvard President Lawrence Bacow, performing as the countertenor soloist in Chichester Psalms at Bernstein Centenary Celebration concerts, both at Sanders Theatre at Harvard and at David Geffen Hall in NYC, playing and singing a one-hour solo set (including original compositions) as part of the Harvard Smith Campus Center’s “Tunes at Noon” series, and conducting the world premiere of a commissioned composition for period instruments with the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra, with whom he has also performed as a vocal soloist.
Mozart Society Orchestra 