Biography

Benjamin Betelli is an Adelaide-based composer currently completing his Honours year in Composition under Professor Charles Bodman Rae and Emeritus Professor Graeme Koehne at the Elder Conservatorium of Music. His music is distinguished by a strong sense of narrative, motivic clarity, and vibrant orchestration.

Benjamin’s early achievements include seven first prizes in the ASME Young Composers Awards (2007–2010), notably for Symphony No. 1 in B minor (2008) and Quartet No. 1 in C major (2010). His Piano Quartet, commissioned by The Firm, was premiered in 2011, and the Adelaide Youth Sinfonia has performed his orchestral works Circus and The Clowns. The same year, his String Quartet No. 2 was premiered by the Australian String Quartet.

After an early career of performances and commissions, Benjamin returned to complete his undergraduate degree in 2024, bringing renewed artistic focus and an expanded compositional voice. His orchestral work Symphonic Fantasy was played by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in 2025. Other recent works include Symphonic Dances for orchestra and Graduation Fanfare for brass octet, performed by the Elder Conservatorium Brass Ensemble.

In 2025, Benjamin was awarded both the Alex Burnard Scholarship for composition and the David Hunter Prize for achieving the highest mark in the composition stream of the Bachelor of Music at the Elder Conservatorium of Music

Benjamin will commence his postgraduate studies in Composition in 2026, continuing to develop his distinctive musical voice and expand his contribution to contemporary Australian music.