Andrew Bennett

2001 Semi-finals Judge

Andrew Bennett, Executive Director Northern Sinfonia, has held a wide range of arts administration posts since entering the field. Initially he held posts with the TyneWear Theatre Company at the Newcastle Playhouse, the Albert Dock Company, Liverpool Festival Gardens and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He also spent two years as Deputy General Manager of the Ulster Orchestra. The next 5 years were spent as the Administrator of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, where he also acted as Administrator to Mark Wigglesworth's young orchestra, The Premiere Ensemble. From 1993 to 1999 he ran City of Birmingham Touring Opera with Graham Vick. In 1999 he left that post to become Chief Executive of the Northern Sinfonia.

Mr. Bennett has acted as an advisor to Merseyside Arts, West Midlands Arts and East Midlands Arts. He was a board member and lately Chair of the National Opera and Music Theatre Forum and a board member of Birmingham Arts Marketing. He has lectured occasionally on arts administration at City University (London) and was one of the two inaugural hosts of BBC Radio 3's Young Artists Forum. He has recently been elected to the board of the Association of British Orchestras.

Andrew Bennett holds a first class degree in Geography from Durham University (England).

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