Chorusmaster

Benjamin Watson

Benjamin Watson is the Director of Choirs at Central York High School (York, PA) where he is responsible for conducting three choral ensembles as well as teaching several levels of piano instruction. In addition to his choral duties, he serves as vocal director for Central York Performing Arts theatrical productions. Outside of teaching, Ben has served as Director of Traditional Music and Organist at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Nazareth, PA for the past ten years. An avid choral singer as well as a conductor, Ben has sung with both the Bach Choir of Bethlehem (Bethlehem, PA) and the Susquehanna Chorale (Mechanicsburg, PA) for a combined total of eleven seasons. Ben holds degrees in music education and choral conducting from West Chester University (B.M.) and Messiah University (M.M.) where he studied with Vincent Craig, David DeVenney, Joy Meade, and Rachel Cornacchio. He has also completed extensive study through various summer conducting programs including the Westminster Conducting Institute, Atlanta Summer Conducting Institute, and the Choral Institute at Oxford (UK) where he has worked with notable conductors James Jordan, James Whitbourn, Bruce Chamberlain, Daniel Bara, and Deanna Joseph. Ben joins the York Symphony Chorus as Interim Chorusmaster in January 2024!