Forest Benson, piano
- JK
- Jun 22
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 23
Saturday, September 20, 2025 at 7:00 pm - SOLD OUT
Sunday, September 21, 2025 at 2:00 pm - SOLD OUT
$30 per ticket
The 35th and 36th concerts in the York Place Musical Salon.
About the Event
Seventeen year-old Vancouver pianist Forest Benson is quickly making his mark in the piano world with many notable accomplishments for his age. We first met Forest in May 2024... the Comox Valley Piano Society held an audition for a young artist (age 16-19) to perform a piano recital at the Stan Hagen Theatre in Courtenay and Forest was the winner. After seeing Forest's concert, we immediately invited him to perform in the Salon.
Forest plays with extraordinary musical maturity and technical brilliancy, as will be evident in his program...
Bach: Prelude & Fugue No. 17 in A-flat major, BWV 886 - WTC Book II
Beethoven: Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major, Op. 31 No. 3 ("The Hunt")
Weissenberg: Selections from “Six arrangements of songs by Charles Trenet”
I. Boum!
II. Ménilmontant
III. En Avril à Paris
Chopin: Nocturne in B major, Op. 62 No. 1
Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35, Book I and II
We gratefully acknowledge a generous donation from an anonymous patron who has sponsored the York Place Musical Salon since 2024. This support helps further our goal of presenting performances of the highest caliber. Thank you.
About the Musician
Forest Benson, born in 2008, started playing piano at age six with his first teacher, Janet Bulani. He recently graduated from the Young Artist Collegiate Program at the Vancouver Academy of Music (VAM) and has now been accepted into the 10-month Performance Prep Program at the VSO School of Music. Forest currently studies piano with Dr. Bogdan Dulu.
The past few years have seen great progress for Forest. Highlights include performing the 1st movement of Rachmaninoff's 2nd concerto with the VAM Symphony Orchestra (VAMSO) at Vancouver’s Orpheum theatre after winning 1st prize in the British Columbia Provincial Concerto competition. He also won 1st prize in the Pacific international Youth Music Festival gala competition and he was awarded the grand prize in the 2023 Vancouver International Music Competition, performing at the Vancouver Playhouse for the gala. In May 2024, Forest presented the Comox Valley Piano Society Young Artist Recital after achieving first place in the audition process.
This year, he won 1st prize in the Kay Meek Concerto Competition at VAM and he will play Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.5 with VAMSO at the Orpheum on March 1, 2026.
Concert Gallery
