Philharmonic will bid farewell to Benjamin

On Saturday, June 4, Eric Benjamin will conduct his final concert with the Tuscarawas Philharmonic at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas. It has been, according to Benjamin, a 25-year love affair since he first became the musical director and conductor of the philharmonic.

The final concert of the season, “A Tuneful Goodbye — with Friends,” will bring together classical music with the music of some of Benjamin’s friends and will include an appearance by Dr. Jongho Kim, who will take over as the philharmonic’s next musical director.

“Eric has created a unique place in the history of the Tuscarawas Philharmonic and in this community,” said Carey Gardner, vice president of the philharmonic board of directors.

Along with some celebrated symphonic pieces by Hindemith and Barber, the concert will feature compositions by Benjamin and his friends: Alex Bevan of Cleveland, Willie Nelson, John Williams, jazz musicians Richie Travers and Jackie Warren, and Dover native Elizabeth Langford Estes.

Combining musical genres has been one of Benjamin’s fortes as musical director, whose approach and willingness to interact with audiences made him a beloved maestro to the orchestra and concert-goers.

“Eric has a great relationship with the orchestra members,” philharmonic concertmaster Mary Bontrager said. “He has always been easy to work with. I will have many memories of making great music together.”

From his early days conducting the orchestra in the Dover High School auditorium to his tenure at the PAC, Benjamin said he has tried to take some of the pretentiousness out of classical music concerts, talking casually to audiences about the various pieces of music being performed.

“I’ve always enjoyed the interaction between Eric, the orchestra members and those of us sitting in the auditorium,” Gardner said. “Eric’s self-deprecating humor and animated style on the podium engaged, amused and educated the audience in a style all his own.”

One of Benjamin’s concerts brought local country musicians to the stage and finished with Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony,” which is about living in the country.

“You just have to use a little imagination and give yourself the opportunity to try something a little outside of the envelope,” Benjamin said. “I’ve been able to do that here.”

The conductor who almost wasn’t

A native of St. Albans, Vermont, Benjamin started out as a rock and roller, playing in several bands as a seventh-grader. “But then I heard ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ from the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg, and I was really taken with it,” he said. “So I gave up my rock and roll career — the money, the women, the whole thing. I even gave my rock albums to the local public library. Classical music was a way for me, in adolescence, to identify myself. I wasn’t an athlete, I wasn’t the best student in class and I wasn’t a chick magnet.”

After completing his master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the New England Conservatory of Music, Benjamin described the day he sent in his application for the assistant conductor position with the Akron Symphony Orchestra, which he landed.

“I distinctly remember standing in line at the post office,” he said. “It was five o’clock, and I was having to express mail the application, and that was money that I couldn’t really afford to spend. So I actually stepped out of line and walked toward the door but was struck with the thought, ‘You can’t win if you don’t play.’ So I got back in line, paid my money and sent it out.”

A wonderful, growing experience

That’s how Benjamin sums up his quarter-century with the philharmonic. “They always gave me room for expansion in terms of programming and the technical capacity of the orchestra, so we all grew together for 25 years,” he said.

“When I first dreamed about being a conductor, I wanted to be part of a team of people who would present classical music in a wide variety of genres, and that’s what I found here. I’m just the guy who waves the stick.”

Benjamin plans to spend more time on creative writing projects, particularly for educational purposes. “I’ve got sketches for pieces that are older than my children, and my oldest is 32. So it’s time for me to get going on those if they’re ever gonna see the light of day,” he said.

As Benjamin concludes his time in Tuscarawas County, Gardner had this to say: “Thank you for 25 years of musical memories and learning experiences. Thank you for taking the philharmonic to new heights artistically and leaving the organization with a wealth of public support and appreciation for the value of the orchestra to the Tuscarawas Valley.”

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. farewell performance can be purchased online at www.kent.edu/tuscpac or by calling 330-339-3391.

The PAC is located on the Kent State Tuscarawas campus at 330 University Drive NE in New Philadelphia.