William Bennett Flute   

Renowned English flutist William Bennett studied with Geoffrey Gilbert at the Guildhall School of Music and in Paris with Jean-Pierre Rampal. In 1958, he won a medal in the Geneva International Flute Competition. From 1965, he studied with Marcel Moyse, whose vibrant and expressive style he has championed. He has had a distinguished career in British orchestras, serving as principal flute with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the English Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed internationally as a soloist and has made numerous recordings. Composers such as Richard Rodney Bennett and William Matthias have dedicated works to him, and Bennett himself has published many transcriptions for the flute. He taught at the Music Hochschule, Freiburg, teaches at the Royal Academy of Music, and gives master classes throughout the world. He was made an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his distinguished service to music.

© Robert Adelson, All Music Guide