Benjamin Graves

Ben studied clarinet at the Birmingham Conservatoire under Timothy Lines and played in various local ensembles. Since achieving his Masters in Composition, with distinction, from the Guildhall School – with generous support from The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers, The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers, the Guildhall Trust and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust – Graves’ works have been performed widely, either by himself as clarinettist or others, across the UK and abroad. His works have been heard in venues in Royaumont and Aix-en-Provence, France; Darmstadt, Germany; Basel, Switzerland and Aldeburgh; Birmingham; Cambridge; Durham; Oxford and London’s Air Studios, Barbican, LSO St. Luke’s, the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios, The Place, Southbank, St John’s Smith Square and the Wigmore Hall. Broadcasts include BBC Radio 3’s In Tune, BBC Radio Scotland and Resonance 104.4 FM. Festival premieres include the Aberdeen Sound, City of London, Celtic Connection and Aldeburgh festivals. Notable ensemble performances include Ensemble Recherche, The Riot Ensemble and orchestral works for the LSO and RSNO. His choral anthem Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs won first prize in the Queens’ College and Homerton College, Cambridge Composition Competitions. He is currently undertaking a PhD in composition at Cambridge University under Richard Causton, fully and generously funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.