[ I have always been passionate about
vocal music. ]
Benjamin Hartmann is a young German conductor currently based in Stockholm. From his early childhood he received intensive musical training in piano, voice and organ – passing his church music diploma with distinction at the age of 16. Soon Benjamin took over his own ensembles and was appointed artistic director of the Philharmonic Youth Choir Leipzig at the age of 22. Today Benjamin regularly collaborates with highly distinguished ensembles such as the Swedish Radio Choir, DR Pigekoret, Manado State University Choir, the German Youth Chamber Choir, Jena Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Chamber Choir Josquin des Préz, Gewandhaus Choir, and MDR Kinderchor where he also worked as assistant conductor and voice coach.
In 2010 he became music assistant and choral scholar at Lancing College, UK, performing in a number of England’s main churches such as St Paul’s, Westminster Abbey and St John’s Cambridge. In 2011 Benjamin was assistant conductor of the International Chamber Choir of JM Slovenia. After studying music education and conducting as a Deutschlandstipendiat at HMT Leipzig, he has now been accepted into the choral conducting master programme at KMH Stockholm, where he works with singers of the Swedish Radio Choir as well as Eric Ericsons Kammarkör on a regular basis.
Benjamin has always been very passionate about choral music. Besides his conducting career he enjoys singing in ensembles such as the Stuttgart and Maulbronn Chamber Choir, KMH Kammarkör, Gewandhaus Choir, JSB Ensemble, German Youth Chamber Choir, and the World Youth Choir; working with renowned conductors including Helmuth Rilling, Hans‐Christoph Rademann, Frieder Bernius, Fredrik Malmberg, Simon Halsey, Nigel Short, Martina Batič, Dennis Russell Davies, and Riccardo Chailly. Concert tours have taken him to many European countries as well as to Thailand, South Africa, and Chile.
Recently he was participant of master classes with Peter Hanke, Gunnar Eriksson and André de Quadros. Benjamin was selected for the 2014 ‘Conducting 21C’ programme run by the International Eric Ericson Choral Centre and in 2015 participated in the first Tenso Masterclass for Conductors in Mechelen.
Stockholm’s thriving musical life is an inspiration for Benjamin: “I feel very privileged to contribute to this vibrant choral scene by being Kammarkören Musikaliska’s conductor. They are such nice people and a well-experienced ensemble; it is definitely a great learning opportunity for both sides and I look forward to sharing the wealth of the German music tradition with my singers – in the same way I can also learn from them!” Benjamin likes the Swedes with their friendly openness and charming temperament. “Coming to Stockholm and living in the cradle of professional choral singing has definitely been one of my best decisions. Nu kör vi! — Let’s go!”