As an active and highly sought-after performer, Benjamin Boo joined Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) and was the Percussionist from March 2018 to September 2022. In October 2022, he was promoted to Percussion Principal.
Benjamin started learning Piano from his parents at the tender age of 3. He first exposed to Chinese Percussion at the age of 9 when he joined his primary school’s Chinese Orchestra. A year later, Benjamin began studying Chinese Percussion with Mr. Quek Ling Kiong, the current Principal Conductor of the SCO, for over a decade. Through Mr. Quek’s recommendation, Benjamin also picked up Western Percussion with Mr. Ngoh Kheng Seng (SCO). In 2007, he studied Western Percussion in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) under the National Arts Council Georgette-Chen Bursaries Award. Benjamin attained his Diploma in Music Performance in 2010, under the tutelage of Mark Suter (Associate Principal, Percussion, SSO). He then furthered his studies in Music Theory with Cultural Medallion Recipient, Mr Phoon Yew Tien. In 2014, Benjamin graduated with First-Class Honours for his Bachelor of Music (Hons) through the NAFA-RCM joint degree programme.
He graduated from the Royal College of Music (RCM, London) with Masters of Performance (Distinction) in 2016, under the support of the Neville Wathen Award. He was taught by renowned percussionists including David Hockings, She-e Wu, Matt Perry, and Ralph Salmins. His unique experiences in traditional Chinese Percussion allowed him to teach and perform traditional Chinese Percussion with RCM’s Percussion Department. While in London, he also performed with The Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Musical “Motown”, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with exclusive training under the BBCSO Pathway Scheme 2014 – 2015.
In 2008, he led his percussion ensemble “Symphonic Percussion” to Championship in the first ever NAC Chinese Music Competition for Percussion. He also participated in the International Chinese Arts Festival Percussion Competition in 2014 and was awarded the Third Prize for Chinese Percussion Solo Category, and First Prize for Western Percussion Marimba Solo Category. Benjamin was also awarded Third Prize in the National Indian Music Competition 2017, Mridangam Open Category.
Benjamin is the founding member of Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra (SYCO) and Orchestra of the Music Makers (OMM), serving as SYCO’s Percussion Principal from 2009 to 2012. He represented OMM to perform at the Cheltenham and Lichfield Music Festival in 2012. Benjamin has been active in the arts scene, and began freelancing with the SCO and SSO from a young age. He was invited by the Arts Fission dance company to perform for the Mapping Melbourne Festival in 2016. Benjamin was invited to tour Italy and Germany in 2017 with his duet partner (The Untouchables) as a highlight feature of Zappanale #28, a Frank Zappa Music Festival. In 2019, Benjamin and his colleagues were invited to form a new ensemble “新月 MUSA” , together with local Chinese Instrumental Band “MUSA”. They represented Singapore in China’s major Chinese Instrumental talent show(国乐大典). In 2022, Benjamin was part of the quintet that represented SCO for the highly-received performance, Klassik Open Air, that attracted 75,000 audience in Nuremberg.
Benjamin is also the Co-Founder and Ensemble Principal of local Chinese Wind and Percussion group - Reverberance (回响), who strives to bring about a new era of Chinese music, through the combination of traditional and modern elements of the art form.
Benjamin proudly endorses Innovative Percussion, as well as Pantheon Percussion.