Ben Parry

Ben Parry is a composer, conductor and music producer. He is Director of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and co-director of London Voices.

Ben Parry was born in Suffolk. He studied Music and History of Art at Cambridge, singing in King’s College Choir, while also performing in musicals, G&S and jazz cabaret. In the mid-1980s he joined The Swingle Singers, toured globally and performed with great musicians including Pierre Boulez, Stephane Grapelli and Dizzy Gillespie. He also wrote many of the group’s arrangements at this time, and co-produced four albums for Virgin Classics.

Moving to Edinburgh in 1995, Parry took up posts as Director of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, Director of Choral Music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and conductor of Haddo House Opera. He also co-founded the Dunedin Consort, which has gone on to establish itself as Scotland’s premiere baroque ensemble. He moved back south in 2003, becoming Director of Music at St. Paul’s School, London, then of Junior Academy at the Royal Academy of Music, and subsequently his current position of Director of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. As co-director of London Voices he has conducted many major film soundtracks, from The Hobbit to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, and performed in major concert houses around the world. He also conducted London Voices in the epic production of Stockhausen’s 6-hour Mittwoch – Birmingham Opera Company’s grand finale to the Cultural Olympiad in 2012.

Ben is Assistant Director of Music at King’s College, Cambridge, where he is responsible for the mixed choir, King’s Voices, as well as assisting Stephen Cleobury and mentoring the choral and organ scholars. He is also Music Director of Aldeburgh Voices, the resident choir at Snape Maltings. Ben’s own compositions and arrangements include the popular Faber Carol Book and a burgeoning catalogue of choral music for Peters Edition. He has enjoyed commissions from the BBC Singers, Ely, Norwich and Worcester cathedrals, and his music has been heard at the BBC Proms and on the TV hit series, Glee. 

Ben features on the credits of well over 80 recordings, appearing variously as singer, conductor, co-director, director, producer, chorus master and composer.

www.benparry.net