Jim Benoit, a native of Niskayuna, New York, is the newly appointed Principal Timpanist of the Seattle Symphony. He spent the previous season performing with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as acting Associate Principal Percussionist and Assistant Principal Timpanist.
Previously, Benoit spent three seasons as a section percussionist with the Sarasota Opera and performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Malaysian Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, New World Symphony, and West Virginia Symphony. Benoit also has performed as Principal Timpanist of the Des Moines Metro Opera and the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, toured as Principal Timpanist of the Star Wars in Concert Orchestra, and recorded and toured as the vibraphonist of The Waitiki 7, a polynesian latin/jazz band.
As an educator, Benoit was on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and at the Luzerne Music Center. An avid supporter of music in the classroom, he also has worked as a teaching and performing artist with Associate Solo Artists, a non-profit organization that provides artistic interdisciplinary programs to children, teachers, businesses, and social establishments, by giving concerts, masterclasses, and workshops in schools throughout New York.
Benoit received his Artist Diploma in 2014 from Duquesne University, where he studied with Edward Stephan, and his Master of Music in 2012 from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Markus Rhoten. Earlier studies included receiving his Bachelor of Music from the Berklee College of Music, under the tutelage of Dave Samuels and Ed Saindon, and pursuing symphonic training from Salvatore Rabbio and Pat Hollenbeck while in Boston. Benoit started his percussion studies with Richard Albagli and Mark Foster, both members of the Albany Symphony.
