Artistic Director

Jeffrey Benson is Artistic Director of Peninsula Cantare and Director of Choral Activities at San José State University. The Washington Post hails his choirs for singing “with an exquisite blend, subtlety of phrasing, confident musicianship and fully supported tone.”

Dr. Benson made his international conducting debut with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the SJSU Choraliers in Limerick, Ireland in 2016, and he made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut in 2015 with the SJSU Choirs and the New York Festival Orchestra. He has served as cover conductor for the Grammy award-winning Washington Chorus, where he helped to prepare the ensemble for Maestros Leonard Slatkin and Marvin Hamlisch. Choirs under his direction have performed at multiple state and regional choral conferences and have toured throughout the United States and Europe, including invited performances at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The White House and Washington National Cathedral. Recently Dr. Benson’s choirs have been invited to perform with the Rolling Stones, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, the Los Angeles Festival Orchestra and the Skywalker Orchestra.

Dr. Benson is a published composer and arranger, and is editor of the Jeffrey Benson Choral Series with Gentry Publications. He has compositions published with Colla Voce Music and Santa Barbara Music Publishing, under the Charlene Archibeque Choral Series.

Dr. Benson currently serves as Immediate Past President of the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) and on the National Advocacy and Collaboration Committee for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). In addition, he is an active member of the National Association for Music Education and the National Collegiate Choral Organization. ACDA recognized Benson with the first annual Colleen Kirk Award for his outstanding achievement as a young conductor.

Benson received his Masters degree and his Doctorate in Choral Conducting/Music Education from The Florida State University and his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from New York University.