William Bennett

William Ingham Brooke Bennett (7 February 1936 – 11 May 2022) was a British flautist and teacher. He played in many English orchestras and chamber music ensembles, and as a soloist. He made more than 100 recordings, including chamber music with partners including George Malcolm, Osian Ellis, and Yehudi Menuhin. He premiered flute concertos written for him, by William Mathias, Diana Burrell and Raimundo Pineda. Bennett taught at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany and the Royal Academy of Music, and held master classes worldwide. Early life and studies William Ingham Brooke Bennett was born in London to parents who were both architects. He boarded at Beltane School until he was 16, starting his school life as a seven-year-old during the Second World War. He started playing the recorder at the age of 8 and the flute at 12. He studied the flute in London with Geoffrey Gilbert from the age of 15 and went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama a year later. Instead of doing two years of compulsory national military service after the war, he chose instead to serve three years in the Scots Guards band, which allowed him to continue his studies at the Guildhall School of Music. He went to Paris on a French government scholarship at 21, where he had lessons with Fernand Caratgé and Jean-Pierre Rampal. In the 1960s, he studied with Marcel Moyse. Career and recordings At the age of 22, Bennett started working in his first principal flute position in the BBC Northern Orchestra (now the BBC Philharmonic). He played with major British orchestras, including Sadlers Wells Opera, the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. He played and recorded with chamber music ensembles, including the Melos Ensemble, Nash Ensemble, Vesuvius Ensemble and Prometheus Ensemble. As a soloist he had partnerships with harpsichordist George Malcolm, with whom he recorded the complete Bach flute sonatas and Mozart concertos, and with pianist Clifford Benson and harpist Osian Ellis, with whom he recorded extensively. In his solo recordings he partnered with Yehudi Menuhin, the Grumiaux Trio, I Musici, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the English Chamber Orchestra, and also recorded with artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Wynton Marsalis.