Benjamin Southwick

Background

About Benjamin Southwick

Benjamin Southwick (he/they) is a composer, artist, and conductor based in Durham, UK. He has just graduated with First Class Honours in Music from Stephenson College, Durham University. In early 2021, he was awarded a scholarship from the Laidlaw Foundation to pursue his research on Clara Wieck-Schumann. Since then, research has been a core part of his career, and he has held posts as Decolonising the Curriculum Intern at Durham University and Chair of Music Durham’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Before starting his final year, Benjamin held a 3-month position as a Research Assistant at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada. In 2022, Benjamin was awarded the Music Department EDI Award for his composition 'We will remember them', a work commemorating the transgender people who had been the victims of transphobic murders. During their time at Durham University, Benjamin was also Director of Music of St Cuthbert’s Society Choir, focusing on bringing more underrepresented choral composers into the repertoire. Post-graduation, Benjamin is now working towards a Master's at Newcastle Univeristy in September on queer and crip theories, focussing on the relationships between voice, vocality, and non-verbal communication, as well as transgender narratives in country music. They are also the conductor of Aileni Vocal Ensemble, which brings underrepresented composers in choral music to the forefront of their musicking. Outside of music, Benjamin is an artist and illustrator.