Academic

Recent Publications:

'Music as Mirror: Reflections of Biography and Identity in the Music of Louis Lewandowski', in Jewishness, Jewish Identity and Music Culture in 19th-Century Europe (Ad Parnassum Studies 2020)

Music and Letters Book Review, Composing Capital, Classical Music in the Neoliberal Era (2020)

'The British Symphony Orchestra and the Arts Council of Great Britain, Examining the Orchestra in its Economic and Institutional Environments', book chapter in Oxford University Press volume Global Perspectives on Orchestras (2017).

The December 2013 issue of 'The Musical Times' includes Benjamin's article,'The SPNM 1943 - 1975: a retrospective'. Details can be found here.

Recent conference papers have explored the Musicians' Union (Glasgow 2016), nineteenth-century Jewish choral music (Leeds 2015), the life of Louis Lewandowski (Rome 2015), the career of Alick Maclean (NABMSA 2014), Ewan MacColl's 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' (Popmac 2013), the place of new opera at the Royal Opera House in the post-war period (NABMSA 2012), and  British attitudes to censorship after the Second World War (RMA/King's College London, 2012).

Benjamin Wolf's PhD thesis is available for download from the British Library's Ethos system. You can find it here. If you have any problems please use the contact form on this website.

Next Appearance

Performances are currently on hold due to Covid-19. Watch this space for future plans, which should include interfaith performances in Cambridge and London, the next European Jewish Choral Festival in Sofia, and the next Montefiore heritage concert.

 

Music Downloads

You can download recordings from Itunes, Amazon and other sources. Here are some of Benjamin's recordings:

Bendigamos (bOYbershop)

 

Zemel Goes Stateside

Todah V'Zimrah (Belsize Square)

Composition

The Etz Chayim Cello Concerto was written for the 70th anniversary of Belsize Square Synagogue. It was described as an 'individual sound world of colour and incisive brilliance' (Jewish Renaissance Magazine April 2009). You can download the concerto using the link on this page. Recorded live with the Wallace Ensemble and cellist Gemma Rosefield.

Benjamin Wolf has written music for the concert hall and the theatre. He has primarily written Jewish music (both choral, vocal and instrumental), though he has also recently written music based on ancient Greek modes, as well as music in more traditional idioms. His most recent compositions have been for choir, quartet and orchestra. You can hear some of his music below, and click the links to the right to purchase tracks.

Composition Samples:

Comic Music and Close Harmony (quartet)

 The Only Jewish Cowgirl - a comic song about true love, by Benjamin Wolf and Nicky Goldberg. Performed by bOYbershop at one of our first concerts (with the original lineup of the quartet).

 A barbershop arrangement of Alexander's Ragtime Band, performed by bOYbershop

 

Concert Music

Click to the right for extracts from the Etz Chayim cello concerto. Here's a further movement of L'Chaim.

 

 

Benjamin has also written Jewish choral music, including a number of pieces composed for the Zemel Choir and the professional choir of Belsize Square Synagogue. He has also written a large number of arrangements of Jewish music for bOYbershop, and has composed music for theatre productions.