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Brahms 4th Symphony | Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra
Lindberg – Arena | Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra

“…he led a fluid performance that paid off again and again. In the final pages of the score the orchestra framed Schultz’s serenely floating high notes.”

Aspen Times

“The intimacy of the hall, combined with a drier acoustic than in Abravanel, left no place for errant notes to hide, but the 21-piece ensemble did not need one. New associate conductor Benjamin Manis, himself a cellist, led with precision and good humor…Transparency and delicacy characterized Manis’ reading of Britten’s Simple Symphony. Pizzicato passages really popped in the intimate venue, and the pianissimo opening of the “Playful Pizzicato” movement was magical.”

Utah Arts Review

“The trio’s graceful accompaniment acts as a counterpart to Martinez’s stirring score, conducted with careful attention by Benjamin Manis. Violins add romance and sentimentality; trumpets stir the pot at dramatic moments; glimmers of harp evoke the twinkling stars.”

Houston Chronicle

“Manis, resident conductor of Houston Opera, had led this orchestra Aug. 6 in an excellent concert featuring soprano Golda Schultz. He stepped in Friday for Roderick Cox, who canceled shortly before he would have made his Aspen main stage debut. The concert opened with a lively, deftly shaped run through Kodály’s Dances of Galánta, and concluded with a stately, confident traversal of Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 in F major. Maybe it was because this orchestra already had a concert under its belt with him as conductor, but balances among the sections and responsiveness by the whole orchestra were especially rewarding.”

Aspen Times

“Maestro Benjamin Manis, a former HGO resident conductor, whips up the orchestra into furious climaxes or subtle love coos, always finding the correct balance between lust and love, leaving the artists on stage with just the right amount of breathing room before the next outburst.”

Houston Press

“For all the power and ferocity that the HGO Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Manis, put into the score’s explosions, it was even more telling in the quiet scenes. From the glow of the strings in quiet moments to the silkiness of the clarinet solo launching “E lucevan le stelle,” the group savored Puccini’s tone-painting and glow.”

Texas Classical Review

“Conducted by Shepherd School alum Ben Manis, Puccini’s lush and immersive score flows from moments of great warmth and tranquility to deliciously exciting drama.”

Houston Chronicle (Tosca)

American conductor Benjamin Manis is quickly making a name for himself on the podiums of America’s major opera houses and concert halls. Always searching for more meaningful musical connections, for Ben, music making is all about relationships – with orchestras and singers, composers of yesterday and today, and audiences. His career has been defined by shaping and deepening those relationships.

The most recent of those affiliations is with San Francisco Opera, where Ben made his debut in 2024 with Carmen, resulting in an immediate re-invitation for Barber of Seville in 2026. Operawire wrote that Ben “led the excellent San Francisco Opera orchestra [with] a confident, unflagging pace, the conductor’s sensitivity to tempo matching the needs of the singers”. While in San Francisco, Ben also led the SF Opera Orchestra and SFO’s Adler Fellows in a concert of arias, in which “Manis provided sympathetic and visibly attentive support to each singer” (SF Chronicle).

In spring of 2025, Ben returns to Utah Opera for Madame Butterfly and his alma mater, Rice University, for John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles. Other important recent debuts include the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Grand Teton Music Festival, where Ben was appointed Resident Conductor by Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In spring of 2026, Ben will make his debut with the Savannah Philharmonic.

Ben got his start in opera as Resident Conductor of Houston Grand Opera from 2019-2022. After a successful debut with Verdi’s Rigoletto, he subsequently led HGO performances of Carmen, Romeo et Juliette, and The Snowy Day, as well as the world premiere of Marian’s Song. Ben’s work at HGO culminated in his engagement as guest conductor for John Caird’s production of Tosca, about which Houston Press raved:

“Maestro Benjamin Manis, a former HGO Resident Conductor, whips up the orchestra into furious climaxes or subtle love coos, always finding the correct balance between lust and love, leaving the artists on stage with just the right amount of breathing room before the next outburst.”

After leaving HGO, Ben was appointed Associate Conductor of the Utah Symphony by Music Director Thierry Fischer for the 22/23 season. That season saw him conduct the Symphony in Abravanel Hall, at the Deer Valley Music Festival, and on tour throughout Utah, resulting in a re-invitation to lead a gala concert featuring violinist Itzhak Perlman. Ben has also built a relationship with Utah Opera, making his debut with The Little Prince in 2024, and continuing with Madame Butterfly in spring of 2025.

Ben studied conducting with Larry Rachleff at Rice University and has maintained close ties to Rice. Since 2019 he has led many symphonic performances as well as a double bill of The Rape of Lucretia and Dido and Aeneas. Ben is a four-time winner of the Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award in 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and has assisted conductors such as Gianadrea Noseda, Stéphane Denève, and Leonard Slatkin. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Emily, and dog, Banjo.

JANUARY 2025