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Peggy Benkeser

Percussionist / Composer

  Peggy Benkeser is a professional musician with twenty years of experience in teaching, arts administration and performance. As a Georgia Council for the Arts approved Artist-in-Residence and Young Audiences of Atlanta Artist, Ms.Benkeser conducts residencies, master classes and performances at schools throughout the state of Georgia. Ms.Benkeser has been on the faculties of Georgia State University, Clayton State University, and Emory University. In her private teaching studio,Ms. Benkeser has worked with students of all ages and abilities, including those with special needs and learning disabilities. While teaching at the Children’s Music Development Center at Emory University, Ms. Benkeser developed a music composition curriculum for students aged 7 - 12.

Peggy is co-founder and artistic director of Thamyris, a New Music Ensemble based in Atlanta. Under her guidance, Thamyris received awards for adventurous Programming from Meet the Composer/Chamber Music America and has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts,Chamber Music America, American Composer’s Forum, Meet the Composer, the Copeland Fund for New Music, and numerous local and state funding agencies. Ms.Benkeser has extensive performance and recording experience as a soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles, symphony orchestras,and world music ensembles. Her performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio and German Public Radio and have been professionally recorded and distributed by AC.

Peggy is on the Artist-in-Residence Roster of the Georgia Council for the Arts.