Martín Benvenuto is one of the leading treble choir conductors in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he has been Artistic Director of the Peninsula Women's Chorus (PWC) since 2003. Active as a clinician, panelist, and guest conductor, Benvenuto is also Artistic Director of WomenSing (WS), has served on the faculty of the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir for eight years, and has recently been appointed Artistic Director of the Contra Costa Children's Chorus.
Recognized for his exacting technique, and a passion for drawing the finest choral tone, Benvenuto's repertoire is extensive. In addition to the historical repertoire, his choirs are dedicated to commissioning new works from composers such as Libby Larsen, Chen Yi, Stacy Garrop, Charles Griffin, Cristián Grases, Judith Shatin, Frank Ferko, Brian Holmes, and David Conte.
His choirs have earned high marks in international competitions in Argentina, South Africa, Canada, Hungary, and Spain. Of particular note are the Third Prize awarded to the PWC at the 2006 Béla Bártok International Choir Competition, one of the most prestigious in the European circuit, the 2010 Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker award, which recognized WomenSing for programming recently- composed music that expanded the mission of the chorus, and the PWC's second place in the 2011 American Prize in Choral Performance, which recognizes and rewards the best recordings by choruses in the U.S. Benvenuto highly values artistic collaborations: his choirs have collaborated with Veljo Tormis, Joseph Jennings, Karmina Silec and Carmina Slovenica, Charles Bruffy, California Shakespeare Theater, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and the Golden Gate Men's Chorus.
Benvenuto has prepared choirs for organizations such as the San Francisco Opera, the Oakland East Bay Symphony, the Redwood Symphony, and the Kronos Quartet in works by Bach, Monteverdi, Britten, Mahler, Holst, Stravinsky, and Orff. Benvenuto also regularly appears as tenor soloist with leading Bay Area ensembles.
Benvenuto holds a D.M.A. in choral conducting from Boston University, where he studied with Ann Howard Jones and the late Robert Shaw. He earned his master''s degree from Westminster Choir College, majoring both in Choral Conducting and Voice Performance and Pedagogy. His undergraduate degrees in choral conducting and composition are from the Universidad Católica Argentina.
Jungmee Kim, a native of South Korea, earned her reputation in performing song recital repertoire while studying under several renowned and respected pianists and vocal coaches. Her mentors include Terry Decima, Irma Vallecillo, Susan Larson, and John Moriarty.
Jungmee was named Gideon Klein Scholar for her study of composer Viktor Ullmann and Jewish music in Teresienstadt Camp during the Holocaust. She also received first prize in the Performing Arts Society Beethoven Sonata Competition and a Concord Pavilion Performing Arts Scholarship.
A highly sought after musician, she keeps a busy performance schedule as a solo pianist, collaborative pianist, organist, and percussionist. She has appeared with Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Harvard University Wind Ensemble, Boston Opera Collaborative, Northeastern University Orchestra, Prism Opera, New England Conservatory Light Opera Company, Harvard Business Music Series, Longy School of Music, Bay Area Classical Harmonies, Oakland Opera Theatre, and Palo Alto Philharmonic Orchestra. Jungmee has also premiered numerous compositions by New England based composers.
Jungmee is the music director and répétiteur for the San Francisco Parlor Opera; recent projects include Thaïs, Madame Butterfly, Così fan tutte, Agrippina, Follies, Le nozze di Figaro, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Hänsel und Gretel.
M.M. New England Conservatory of Music; M.L.A. Harvard University; B.A. Northeastern University.