Benjamin Pionnier
Benjamin PIONNIER studied piano, double-bass, singing, clarinet, harmony and counterpoint. After graduating, he improved with famous french pianist Brigitte Engerer in Paris. He performed a lot as pianist and accompanist in Europe.
He studied orchestral conducting in France before entering George Hurst’s conducting classes in Great-Britain. He received a first prize in orchestral conducting with distinction. He is also laureate of the conducting competition in Manchester (Royal Northern College of Music) He was then chosen to participate to conducting master-classes across Europe.
Benjamin Pionnier has been assisting many famous conductors, including James Levine at the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall.
He worked as repetiteur, vocal coach and assistant for many theaters, simultaneously to his career as pianist and accompanist.
As pianist and conductor, Benjamin Pionnier takes part to many festivals : Pablo Casals Festival, Festival Messiaen, Monte-Carlo Spring Festival, Hong-Kong French May, Ambronay’s Festival , Festival Manca, Festival Musiques au cœur, Festival Pierre Cardin, Macao International Music Festival … He was Artistic Advisor for the Opera de Nice from 2006 to 2010.
He has recently conducted with many distinctions: L’Enfant et les Sortilèges/ Ravel at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Carmen/ Bizet at Hong Kong and Shanghai Operas, Faust/ Gounod and Werther/ Massenet in Buenos Aires, Roméo et Juliette / Gounod; l'Elisir d'amore/ Donizetti and La Traviata / Verdi at the National Slovene Opera in Maribor, Cosi fan Tutte/ Mozart, Il Barbiere di Siviglia/ Rossini, le Nozze di Figaro, Tosca / Puccini. He has also conducted Parisian Life/ Offenbach in Paris and
Nice, Hoffman Tales/ Offenbach in Singapore, Orpheus and Eurydice/ Gluck in Nice and many concerts with European orchestras on a wide repertoire.
He has also conducted Romeo et Juliette/ Gounod at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow for the opening of the French year in Russia.
His future plans include Carmen/ Bizet in Seoul, Pelleas et Melisande/Debussy in Teatro Argentino in Buenos Aires, Le Nozze di Figaro / Mozart in Genova, L'elisir d'amore/ Donizetti in Metz, Orpheus in the Underworld / Offenbach in Firenze, Romeo and Juliet / Prokofiev in Palermo, Hoffman Tales/ Offenbach in Hong Kong,Tosca / Puccini in Pisa, The Merry Widow / Lehar in Avignon, Lucia di Lammermoor/ Donizetti, Rigoletto/ Verdi, Eugen Oneguin / Tchaikovsky in
Maribor, ballets and symphonic concerts in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America…
Benjamin Pionnier has been appointed Artistic Director and General Music Director of the National Slovene Opera in Maribor, starting with the 2011/2012 season.
August 2012
