Dr. William Benjamin

Biography

William Benjamin is a Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia's School of Music, where he served as director from 1984 to 1991. He completed his undergraduate degree at McGill University, earning a Bachelor of Music, and later pursued graduate studies at Princeton University, where he obtained an MFA in 1968 and a PhD in 1976. Benjamin began his teaching career in the United States at Wellesley College and the University of Michigan before joining UBC in 1978, where he was promoted to Professor in 1983. His research interests have shifted towards music aesthetics, often from a cognitivist perspective, and he has supervised numerous graduate students' theses and post-doctoral work. Throughout his career, he has contributed significantly to the analysis of music theory, harmony, and the study of late-Romantic and atonal music. Some notable areas of research include the investigation of Bartók’s violin sonatas and Schumann’s late works. Benjamin has authored many papers on the subjects of music cognition and theory, and his work continues to influence the field.

Research Interests

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