Very active on lyrical and symphonic stages across Europe, Benjamin Levy has recently been invited by Rotterdams Philharmonisch, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Nationale Reisopera (Bizet, The Pearl Fishers in 2015), Théatre Stansilavsky – Moscou (Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy, Olivier Py) Moscow Philharmonic, Umeå Opera (Sweden), Icelandic Opera (Reykjavik, Don Giovanni in 2016 & Eugene Oneguin), Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Radio Kamer Filharmonie, Gelders Orkest, Residentie Orkest – The Hague, as well as Noord Nederlands Orkest and Orchestre de Bayonne with which he has started an ongoing collaboration.
In France, he conducted numerous orchestras: Orchestre National de Montpellier, Orchestre National d’Ile-de-France, Orchestre National de Lorraine, Opéra National de Lyon, Opéra de Rouen, Opéra National du Rhin, Opéra de Limoges, Théâtre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre Colonne, Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy et Orchestre Lamoureux. In 2005, he was awarded the “Musical Revelation Prize” by the French Union of Music Critics and in 2008, he received the “ADAMI – Young Conductor Award”.
He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon (Premier Prix in percussion) and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris (theory and conducting) as well as at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen (USA) with David Zinman, Yuri Temirkanov and Jorma Panula. He has also participated in the courses at the Academia Chigiana in Siena (Italy).
Mr. Levy was initially the assistant of Marc Minkowski in many concerts and operatic productions with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Les Musiciens du Louvre, at the Opéra de Paris, De Nederlandse Opera, and at the Salzburg Festival.
Benjamin first attracted public attention with the touring opera company “Les Brigands,” bringing to the stage many forgotten works of 19th and 20th century composers of light opera. Benjamin and “Les Brigands” were awarded two “Diapason d’Or” for their DVD recordings.
Mr. Levy is the Music Director of the Orchestre de Chambre Pelléas, a young, independent orchestra, founded and managed by the musicians themselves. They have performed together in the most prestigious concert halls including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Théâtre du Châtelet, Philharmonie de Paris, MC2-Grenoble, as well as at the Festival de Besançon, Les Folles Journées de Nantes, Festival de Radio-France in Montpellier, Feldkirch Festival (Austria) and Nomus Festival (Serbia). Their concerts have been regularly broadcast by France Musique and Radio Suisse Romande.
