Looking into the Future

Chris Benham serves as conductor for the College of the Ozark's Chamber Orchestra 

Chris Benham graduated from the College of the Ozarks in Spring 2014 and now has a bright future ahead of him. He got a Master of Arts degree in music and is now conducting his own orchestra and has plans to go on to graduate school. Chris took a conducting class at College of the Ozarks taught by Dr. Bruce Gerlach and he took private conducting lessons with Dr. Kevin Powers. These classes were very helpful in expanding his skills as a conductor. He also increased his knowledge by taking a master class in conducting at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio.

His favorite part of college was the conducting classes he took and actually being a part of starting the orchestra at College of the Ozarks. Chris loves music and chose to make it his career path because he never gets tired of it and no matter what kind of week he is having, he always looks forward to conduct the orchestra and soak in the music.

As Chris looks to the future, he has big plans and exciting dreams. Over the summer he plans to go to the Academy for Advance Conducting in West Virginia and study under a professor from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In September he will travel to Turkey and get the opportunity to conduct the National Art Orchestra of Italy in Florence for a master class. Then they will perform at the Capriccio Italian Festival.

In the Fall of 2017, Chris plans to attend graduate school, but at this time he hasn’t decided on which one, but he knows he wants to go more in depth with orchestral conducting. The piece of advice Chris would give to students considering a career path in music is, “Be entrepreneurial”. He encourages students to find and make their own opportunities. If you actively seek opportunities, you will go far. He also says it is important to seek advice from experienced musicians and lean on them for knowledge.