Ben Clapton is a violinist, musician, teacher and composer who has performed around Australia. Currently the Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (MetSO), Ben has also been Concertmaster with the Bendigo Symphony Orchestra, where he led performances at Ulumbarra Theatre and was Associate Concertmaster for a side by side concert with the BSO and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He has also been a member of the Faith Court Orchestra, WA Youth Orchestra, and WAYMA Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ben has been a soloist with the Cradle Coast Chamber Orchestra, performing a selection from Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, and has performed solo recitals in Perth as part of his studies at the WA Academy of Performing Arts.
Ben loves performing in the pit, having performed in amateur theatre productions of Chicago, Spamalot, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Oklahoma!, Into the Woods, The Mikado and Princess Ida, as well as in the world premiere performance of Follow the Light. Ben has also performed as part of Alternative Symphony – a group of musicians based around the world who put on symphonic renditions of contemporary artists such as Daft Punk, Dr Dre, the Notorious B.I.G. and 2pac.
As a composer and arranger, Ben has had his music performed around the world. One of his compositions was selected to be workshopped by members of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, and his arrangement of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” for solo violin has been performed in the US, UK, Australia, Jamaica, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Portugal and Slovenia.
Ben is a recent graduate of the Master of Teaching (Secondary) at Edith Cowan University. After a number of years of experience teaching instrumental violin and viola at John XXIII College, Mercy College, West Coast Music School, Guildford Grammar and Thornlie Christian College, Ben is excited to be stepping into the classroom to share music for all people. He is passionate about learning using evidence based techniques, such as Explicit Direct Learning, and exploring how that can be incorporated into the music classroom to teach and inspire young people to share their musical talents.
Ben started learning the violin through the School of Instrumental Music (now Instrumental Music School Services) at Wembley Downs Primary School, before progressing to John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School where he studied with Fiona Chong. He was awarded a music scholarship to St Mark’s Anglican Community School where he studied with Zac Rowntree before gaining entry to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) to study an Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts and then a Bachelor of Music. While at WAAPA, Ben studied under Peter Tanfield, Rebecca White and Jacek Slawomirski.
I wouldn’t want to live in a world without music. I’m so glad I can share music with everyone.
2022 was a year that sparked inspiration for me. I am not talking about just one spark either, but a series that beautifully led me to the creation of my piece. After seeing the 2022 MetSO program it was evident that it lightly using the Brass players, and I knew they were feeling a bit … Continue reading Karrinyup Fanfare
A minimalist piano piece inspired by a road trip across the Nullabor, the stretch of road between Adelaide and Perth in Australia. After an interrupted start, it expands into a molto perpetuo that depicts the continuous movement as you drive across this large continent. It expands, and changes in style, yet there is familiarity through … Continue reading Nullabor
A fun, boppy, composition suitable for performance in church. The lyrics of the Chorus read:And we thank you Lord Jesus for the things you’ve done,We’ve got a new heart from you and a new spirit too,and we will shout all your praises from the highest of heightsFor we are cleansed of our sins by the … Continue reading The Power of Jesus Christ will Reign
This song draws on 1 John 4:12, the Lord’s Prayer, and also a devotional by Joyce Meyer (although, I didn’t read the devotional, just liked the title). This is a choral arrangement of the recorded track, available at benclapton.id.au SATB and Piano, List price: US$4.99. Buy it here
For String Quartet and Narration. Composed 2014. 4 Movements. A number of years ago now, when I was 21, I was housesitting over Easter. I watched The Passion of Christ on Good Friday. Through watching it, and thinking about music (as I was want to do at the time, studying Classical Music), I realised that … Continue reading The Stations of the Cross
2022 was a year that sparked inspiration for me. I am not talking about just one spark either, but a series that beautifully led me to the creation of my piece. After seeing the 2022 MetSO program it was evident that it lightly using the Brass players, and I knew they were feeling a bit … Continue reading Karrinyup Fanfare
A minimalist piano piece inspired by a road trip across the Nullabor, the stretch of road between Adelaide and Perth in Australia. After an interrupted start, it expands into a molto perpetuo that depicts the continuous movement as you drive across this large continent. It expands, and changes in style, yet there is familiarity through … Continue reading Nullabor
A fun, boppy, composition suitable for performance in church. The lyrics of the Chorus read:And we thank you Lord Jesus for the things you’ve done,We’ve got a new heart from you and a new spirit too,and we will shout all your praises from the highest of heightsFor we are cleansed of our sins by the … Continue reading The Power of Jesus Christ will Reign
This song draws on 1 John 4:12, the Lord’s Prayer, and also a devotional by Joyce Meyer (although, I didn’t read the devotional, just liked the title). This is a choral arrangement of the recorded track, available at benclapton.id.au SATB and Piano, List price: US$4.99. Buy it here
For String Quartet and Narration. Composed 2014. 4 Movements. A number of years ago now, when I was 21, I was housesitting over Easter. I watched The Passion of Christ on Good Friday. Through watching it, and thinking about music (as I was want to do at the time, studying Classical Music), I realised that … Continue reading The Stations of the Cross
Ben Clapton 