Benjamin Zander
Possibility in Troubled Times
Summary
Accompanied by live piano music, Benjamin Zander discusses his experiences leading the tuition-free Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and how its members learn to become leaders through music and embrace possibility.
Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and a recipient of a Special Lifetime Achievement Award at the ABSA Awards in South Africa. He started his early musical training in his native England with cello and composition lessons under the guidance of his father. In 1964 he completed a degree at London University, winning the University College Essay Prize, and a Harkness Commonwealth Fellowship for post-graduate work at Harvard. Boston has been his home ever since. In 1979, Benjamin became the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and has since established an international reputation as a guest conductor. He also has an extensive speaking career, traveling the world lecturing to organizations on leadership. His bestselling book, The Art of Possibility (2002), co-authored with his partner, leading psychotherapist Rosamund Zander, has been translated into fifteen languages. In 2002 he was awarded the “Caring Citizen of the Humanities” Award by the International Council for Caring Communities at the United Nations.