Ben Macpherson
Encyclopedia
Bennet William Macpherson is an Australian conductor
who received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2002 for his services to music as a conductor
and choirmaster.
(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 performed in collaboration with the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra. Macpherson conducted the choir in ventures such as Carl Orff
's Carmina Burana
, Rachmaninoff's Vespers, Giacomo Puccini
's Messa de Gloria, Mozart's Große Messe, 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 collaborative with works with other arts organisations including the SBS Youth Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir (SGLC), Sydney Youth Orchestra, Harvard Glee Club, and numerous school choirs.
(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.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
who received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2002 for his services to music as a conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and choirmaster.
Early life
Macpherson was originally a student member of the Perth University Choral Society (PUCS) from 1972-1978. During this time, he performed a number of roles including president and assistant conductor of PUCS and also Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association 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 SocietySydney University Musical Society
The Sydney University Musical Society 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. It claims to have given the Australian premiere of such pieces as Handel's Dixit...
(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
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
's Elijah performed in collaboration with the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra. Macpherson conducted the choir in ventures such as Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
's Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana (Orff)
Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana...
, Rachmaninoff's Vespers, Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's Messa de Gloria, Mozart's Große Messe, Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
's Te Deum, Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
's Te Deum, and nearly half of SUMS' 49 Annual Festival of Carols (Carolfest). Macpherson also led the choir in collaborative with works with other arts organisations including the SBS Youth Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir (SGLC), Sydney Youth Orchestra, Harvard Glee Club, 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 Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association (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 DayAustralia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
(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.