“Julien Benichou is one of the most interesting and accomplished conductors of his generation. He is an uplifting presence on the podium, and his interpretations are flexible, elegant and spontaneous. He is also very clear and his musicianship and approach have led to memorable collaborations that I have tremendously enjoyed, as concertmaster and soloist alike.”
JULIEN BENICHOU, CONDUCTOR
With natural musicality, infectious energy, and creative approach in fostering the next generation of musicians, conductor Julien Benichou is making his mark as a champion for the future of classical music. Benichou is the General and Artistic Director of the Washington Opera Society (WOS), and Music Director of the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO).
As a guest conductor, Benichou has garnered high acclaim through his work with the New York City Ballet, Annapolis Symphony, Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Baltimore Concert Opera, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s collaborations with Mobtown Modern Synchronicity. Abroad, he has conducted the Orquestra Sinfonica do Parana in Brazil, St. Petersburg State Symphony and Siberian State Symphony in Russia, and the Free State Symphony in South Africa. Last season he conducted the Portuguese Philharmonic both in Portugal and at the Champs-Elysees Theater in Paris. This season he guest conducts the Dallas Symphony, the Pasdeloup Orchestra in Paris and the Marseille Chamber Orchestra. Next summer he returns to South Africa, to guest conduct at the Stellenbosch Festival and to South Korea where he will guest conduct the Paju Philharmonic and return as a clinician for YSL Classic.
As Music Director of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony for 17 seasons, Benichou dramatically raised the professional quality of the ensemble, and expanded the orchestra's season and donor base. Through his commitment to working in the community and ability to attract high profile artists, Benichou developed one of the premier regional orchestras in the greater Baltimore/Washington area. His leadership of the MSO led to collaborations with Stefan Jackiw, Kurt Nikkanen, Brandie Sutton, Vincent Beer-Demander, Leon Fleisher, Kevin Short, Arnaud Sussmann, and Tine Thing Helsen, to name a few.
Benichou has also found great success in conducting operatic productions, served by his keen attention to detail and an ability to bring forth a wealth of expression from singers. With the Washington Opera Society, Benichou recently concluded productions of Aida, Faust and Carmen in Washington, DC, featuring such singers as Lisa Chavez, Kevin Short, Brandie Sutton or Jonathan Tetelman. Additionally, he has worked extensively with the Morgan State University Choir, leading a fully-staged performance of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, featuring Baritone Lester Lynch and Soprano Leah Hawkins. Later with the same ensemble, he conducted the world premiere of James Lee's Mother's Lament.
A composer himself, Benichou is an avid supporter of new music. He has received numerous commissions for theater, film, and concert music, most recently arrangements for French rock musician Arthur H. Benichou has also initiated many new commissions. Recently he conducted the world premiere of Lalo Schifrin's Mandolin Concerto.
Julien Benichou is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of classical music, frequently conducting crossover and pops concerts. He has enjoyed working with the US Army Blues Big Band, the Army Strings, the Irish band Lunasa, and artists Warren Wolf, Mairead Nesbitt, Loreena McKennitt, Sara McLachlan, Matthew Morrison, and HARLOE. In 2017, Benichou premiered “Way of the Rain” at Carnegie Hall, a concert featuring Robert Redford and Vice President Al Gore. A repeat performance was held last season in Monte-Carlo, in the presence of his Highness Albert II, Prince of Monaco. Benichou serves on the advisory board of the Way of the Rain foundation.
As an avid advocate for music education, Benichou has worked extensively with the CYSO to bring unmatched experiences to young musicians. He has taken the CYSO on six different European tours through invitations by several prestigious festivals in France, in addition to side-by-side concerts with the Orchestre des Jeunes de Montréal and the St. Petersburg State Symphony. Under his leadership, the CYSO has performed at Carnegie Hall on numerous occasions.
Benichou received a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Institute and earned a Master's Degree from Northwestern University. He also pursued graduate studies at Yale University and at the Panula Academy in Finland. He has also worked with Leonard Slatkin, Yuri Temirkanov, Marin Alsop, Michael Tilson Thomas, and JoAnn Falletta. His primary teachers have been Victor Yampolsky, Gustav Meier, and Jorma Panula.
Before coming to the United States, he trained in France with Roland Hayrabedian and Pol Mule at the Marseille Conservatory and Jean-Sébastien Béreau at the Rueil-Malmaison Conservatory, as well as privately with Yves Cohen. He also studied harmony and counterpoint with Pierre Doury at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. Benichou became a US Citizen in 2016. When not traveling between conducting engagements, he shares his time between his homes in Baltimore, MD and in the French region of Provence.