Coaching

Coaching

coaching

Peter Benson is an active coach for quartets and choruses throughout the Midwest as well as a clinician/guest conductor for numerous choral festivals.

Peter’s Resume

Peter Benson is a professor in vocal music at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.  Prior to UW-River Falls, he served as Director of choral Activities at North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, ND, and Choir Director at Lakeville South High School.  Peter was also the Artistic Director of the Great Northern Union Men’s Chorus in Minneapolis, MN.  Under Peter’s direction, GNU has competed in several International Contests, placing as high as 2nd in the world and have been crowned LOL District Champions many times.

Other barbershop experience includes singing in 2 District Champion Quartets, and directing a Regional Champion Sweet Adeline Chorus in International competitions.  Peter is also an active clinician and coach for choruses and quartets around the country.  He has been a clinician for several festivals and workshops throughout the Barbershop Harmony Society as well as within the educational system in the Midwest.

 

ENDORSEMENTS


“Working with Pete Benson is a fantastic and inspiring experience. Pete relates well to all ages and gets his point across in a fun-loving way. His extensive background in music allows him to share his expertise in innovative ways to make your product better. He is helping the Fox Valley Chorus of Sweet Adelines to expand their vocal production foundation and soar into “A” level scores.”

— HEATHER JOHNSTON
Master Director, Fox Valley Chorus
Appleton, WI


“A strong ear for intonation issues;  excellent music interpretation skills;  ability to re-write music on the spot.  His suggestions on expanded sound produced through a commonality of vocal timbre by all voice parts was, in my opinion, the best yet simplest technique taught to the group.   Pete’s thoughts on this subject and weekly reinforcement by me resulted in singing scores increasing from an average of 68.3 in 2009 to 76.3 in 2010.”

— GARY THIEL
Director, Heart of Harmony
Milwaukee, WI


“Pete possesses a rare combination of technical knowledge, musical artistry, and ability to connect with the performer. These qualities make him an essential member of our coaching team.”

— SCOTT KVIGNE
Musical Director, City of Lakes Chorus, SAI
2015 6th Place International Medalists


“Pete Benson is an incredible voice instructor who has a knack for explaining how to sing properly in a way that’s easy to understand. He makes the lessons fun and I never felt uncomfortable or embarrassed while singing for him. I have no doubt that I am a much better singer today than I would have been if I had not taken lessons from Pete.”

— BEN NOTEBOOM
Baritone in Great Plains Harmony
Fargo, ND


“Pete is a gifted teacher and a wonderful role model with a passion for the Youth in Harmony movement. During the day, he skillfully molded the group, matching voices by sections to achieve optimal sound and challenged the young men to strive for excellence. From the start, Pete’s excellent people skills and delightful sense of humor were apparent. He made the entire experience — both singing and non-singing activities— FUN and the improvement the chorus made during the day was remarkable.  The culminating experience was the Youth Chorus’s TERRIFIC performance Saturday night before the Quartet Finals — three standing ovations!”

— JACK KILE
LOL District YIH Festival Coordinator – 2015


  • Upcoming Dates

    No shows booked at the moment.