Benjamin Pinto
Clarinet
An ex-Music Scholar at Princethorpe College in Warwickshire, Ben began music at an early age. His potential was signalled early by achievements including the Seamus Doyle Cup, the Don Chambers Memorial Trophy for Music, and most notably the Nigel Cobb Fellowship, performing Weber’s 1st Clarinet Concerto. This led to a performance at Birmingham Symphony Hall of Tartini’s Concertino for clarinet and chamber orchestra. Other prestigious venues he has performed at include the Radio City Hall in Bratislava, the Royal Albert Hall, the Cadogan Hall, St Georges Hall, Bridgewater Hall and the Warwick Arts Centre.
Ben now studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, under the guidance of ex-RLPO principal clarinet, Nicholas Cox and Gabor Varga. He has also benefited from consultation lessons with leading clarinettists including Romain Guyot, Antonio Salguero, Calogero Palermo, Sarah Watts, and Andrew Marriner. Benjamin is fortunate to have been selected to take part in a number of projects at RNCM, including playing in a brand-new orchestra, showcasing the premières of various new works written by young composers, performing two Puccini operas, and participating in numerous RNCM wind orchestra recordings, again premièring new music.
He has also taken the time to specialise in bass clarinet, performing in the RNCM Symphony Orchestra and Children’s Orchestra. This has led to performances with chamber orchestras such as Manchester Camerata and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Benjamin is also fortunate enough to be a part of the Hallé Orchestra’s Professional Employment Scheme, as part of which he has performed Petruskha and recorded the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in 2020 with the Hallé in the Bridgewater Hall.
Whilst studying at the RNCM, Benjamin has been pleased to be involved in an outreach project, the All Saints Music Service, for whom he volunteers to teach children from a deprived area who would not otherwise get the opportunity to learn an instrument.