Benedikt Kantert

Conductor Benedikt Kantert, a native of North Hesse, has been the artistic director of the choirs at the Technical University of Dresden since 2024. In addition, he regularly teaches choral conducting, including as an adjunct professor at the Dresden University of Music.

His musical education began with piano and music theory lessons from his grandfather, Oskar Goldmann. Starting at age 15, he took lessons in organ and choral conducting and completed his training in church music by passing the C-Examen.

Benedikt studied choral conducting with Tobias Löbner, Ludwig Böhme, and Prof. Roland Börger at the HMT Leipzig, as well as orchestral conducting with Prof. Ekkehard Klemm at the HfM Dresden. He continued his studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. In addition to his formal studies, he received significant guidance from conductors such as Gregor Meyer, Frieder Bernius, Howard Arman, Gijs Leenaars, and Prof. Patrick Russil.

As a conductor and accompanist, he has worked with choirs and orchestras such as the Stuttgart Chamber Choir, the Bavarian Radio Choir, the Berlin Radio Choir, the Elbland Philharmonic, the Erzgebirge Philharmonic Aue, and the Dresden Kreuzchor. In recent years, concerts with the Young Saxon Chamber Philharmonic—an ensemble he founded himself—have taken him to venues including the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Kulturpalast in Dresden, the Kreuzkirche in Dresden, and the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. As an assistant, he has worked with renowned conductors such as Michael Sanderling, Wayne Marshall, and Sir James MacMillan.

With the Schwerin men's chamber choir ffortissibros, he won first prizes and special awards at events including the 10th Cornwall International Male Choral Festival, the 11th German Choral Competition, and the Grand Prix of Nations in Mauritius.

Benedikt was a fellow of the German Orchestra Foundation and the recipient of the Ernst von Schuch Fellowship. Since 2024, he has been a fellow in the Forum Dirigieren support program.