Musical Director
Guy Bennett LLCM
Guy Bennett is a conductor, percussionist and Army Officer. He was appointed as the Musical Director of LWO in March 2020. ‘I am honoured and privileged to have been selected as LWO’s new Musical Director and I look forward to working with the band on new projects over the coming years’.
Guy has over 25 years’ experience leading wind bands and was the Musical Director of the Belvedere Concert Band for 18 years before relocating his family to West Sussex in 2013. Under his enthusiastic leadership the band became one of the South East’s Premier Wind Bands. He remains the Band President to this day and takes a keen interest in the band’s progress.
On relocation to Sussex he took up the baton with Emsworth Concert Band. During his 4 years he built up a significant following for the band and transformed their repertoire. The band now regularly perform ‘sold out’ concerts to its loyal following. On moving to Glasgow for work in 2018 he relinquished his position but remains in contact with the band, regularly performing with them on percussion for concerts.
Guy is a Serving Officer in the Corps of Army Music, He joined the Army in Aug 1985 aged just 16. He graduated in Dec 1987 from The Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall Twickenham. winning the Denis Brady Award for Best Percussionist. Guy was assigned to The Band of the Royal Artillery, Woolwich in Jan 1988 as a percussionist and harpist, during his early years he travelled the World extensively with the RA Band deploying to the Middle East in the Gulf War and as an Ambulance Driver ion the streets of London during the Ambulance Dispute. He performed the winning composition for the Evelyn Glennie Percussion Awards alongside a fellow percussionist and two sopranos from the English National Opera in 1994.
Guy remained with the RA Band and became the Band Sergeant Major in 2004. He was appointed as the inaugural Corps Sergeant Major in 2011, Army Music’s Senior Solider. He subsequently Commissioned in 2013 and has worked in Aldershot and Glasgow in support of Army Music. Guy was appointed Second in Command HQ Regional Bands, in Horse Guards, London in Sep 2019.
Guy has always been a keen offshore sailor and holds Yachtmaster Coastal Skipper qualification, owning his own 35ft sailing boat until recently. He is also a keen runner and mountain biker having completed the Vitality Half Marathon in March this year.