Benjamin Goodson conducts a broad choral repertoire, from a cappella and oratorio to newly commissioned works. He is particularly noted for his interpretations of contemporary choral scores. Benjamin has appeared at major venues in Europe, the USA, China, Japan, and Australia. With the Netherlands Radio Choir he directs the ensemble’s regular series at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. From August 2028 Benjamin will be Chief Conductor of the SWR Vokalensemble.
Benjamin regularly appears as a guest conductor with other leading ensembles, including the BBC Singers, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Swedish Radio Choir, Chorwerk Ruhr, Chamber Choir Ireland, the Flemish, NDR and MDR Radio Choirs, and Hungarian National Choir.
Highlights of the 2025/26 season include a return to Asia to conduct the Taipei Chamber Singers at the Taipei National Concert Hall, Christmas concerts with the Flemish Radio Choir and Chorwerk Ruhr. In Stuttgart, he leads two major projects with the SWR Vokalensemble: a curated Luciano Berio programme (“Knoblauch & Rattengift”) and a concert tour featuring works by Britten and Weill alongside a new commission by Mike Svoboda.
Benjamin maintains a close artistic relationship with Sir James MacMillan. At the Concertgebouw he conducts MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross alongside Stravinsky’s Mass for Choir and Winds, and with Rundfunkchor Berlin presents Hoffnung, a virtuosic programme including works by MacMillan, Xenakis and Schnittke.
Netherlands Radio Choir, chief conductor
SWR Vokalensemble, chief conductor from 2028
Netherlands Radio Choir, chief conductor
SWR Vokalensemble, chief conductor from season 2028/2029
About
A cappella and new music
Known for his razor-sharp ear and passion for choral sound, Benjamin is regularly invited to conduct the central twentieth-century a cappella repertoire. His is a committed advocate of new music and has developed close artistic relationships with leading composers, including Sir James MacMillan, Jörg Widmann, Jonathan Dove, Roxanna Panufnik and Peter-Jan Wagemans. Benjamin is particularly noted for his work on the most technically demanding choral scores.
Recordings
Benjamin records for Pentatone. His 2023 album featuring motets by Mendelssohn and Rheinberger was released to critical acclaim, described as “unmissable” by Stretto and “an extraordinary choral disc” by Scherzo. The recording received five stars from BBC Music Magazine and was nominated for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. A follow-up disc devoted to Frank Martin, Daniel-Lesur and Messiaen will be released in autumn 2025.
New formats
Benjamin is committed to developing new ways of experiencing choral music. He has staged Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Tom Guthrie, performed in the Rundfunkchor Berlin’s Human Requiem, and collaborated on Robert Wilson’s Berlin staging of the Bach Motets. For the Netherlands Radio Choir, he created The Living Room – a multidisciplinary format combining music, theatre and multimedia – including projects based on Stravinsky, Tarik O’Regan and collaborations with Sven Ratzke.
With British and German roots, Benjamin was born in Hertfordshire, UK, and now lives in Berlin. He read Music at Hertford College, Oxford and later was appointed Director of Music at Somerville College, University of Oxford. He relinquished this post to become Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir.
Alongside his international performing and recording career, Benjamin teaches the Master’s course in Choral Conducting at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and coaches a small number of professional conductors privately.
“Every note, every sound melts on the tongue, is interpreted, invites you to notice. ‘Devotion to the music’: here this term really applies.”
“As compelling as the programme’s conceptual lines are those drawn by Benjamin Goodson. The conductor takes Bach with airiness, lightness and athletic energy.”