Benjamin Hutto, American musician, died at 67

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Benjabenjamin hutto, born on October 4, 1947 and died September 29, 2015, Benjamin was an American musician who specialized in writing, producing, and directing choral music.

He served as Director of Choral Activities and Director of Performing Arts at St. Albans School for Boys and the National Cathedral School for Girls in Washington D.C.

Benjamin was also Director of Music and Organist at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square.

Benjamin was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1947.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree (English) from Emory, then studied at Westminster Choir College, and at the Royal School of Church Music in England.

In 1989 Benjamin completed the Education for Ministry Program at the School of Theology through the University of the South.

In 1998 he was named a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music.

In 2013 Benjamin was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) from Virginia Theological Seminary.

He served as President of the Association of Anglican Musicians (1988-1989) and the Royal School of Church Music in America (1999-2006).

Benjamin served as instructor and director of choral music at the Porter-Gaud School (Charleston) from 1969-1985.

Simultaneously, he was Organist and Choirmaster at the (Episcopal) Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul.

Benjamin was a co-founder of the organ recital series for Piccolo Spoleto, part of the Spoleto Festival USA. From 1985-1999, he was Organist and Choirmaster at Christ Church (Episcopal) in Charlotte.

Since 1999, he has been Director of Choral Activities and Director of Performing Arts at St. Albans School for Boys and National Cathedral School for Girls in Washington, DC.

Since 2009, Benjamin has also served as Director of Music Ministry and Organist at historic St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, the “Church of the Presidents.”

He has served as Dean of both the Charleston (SC) and the Charlotte (NC) Chapters of the American Guild of Organists.

As a choral conductor, Benjamin has presented children’s choir workshops and served on panels for regional and national conferences for numerous professional educational and music organizations.

During his time in Washington, his school choirs and young singers have appeared on National Public Radio, with the Cathedral Choral Society, the Choral Arts Society of Washington, the Washington Master Chorale, and the Juilliard Orchestra, at performances in the Kennedy Center, and on national television.

Benjamin singers have toured from coast to coast in the United States and internationally to Australia, South Africa, Chile and Argentina.

He has conducted workshops and summer courses for the Royal School of Church Music in many parts of the United States, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa.

Benjamin holds memberships in Sigma Chi social fraternity, Omicron Delta Kappa university leadership society, the American Guild of Organists, the Association of Anglican Musicians, the Royal School of Church Music, and the Cosmos Club.

Benjamin has written several Anglican chants for The Hymnal 1982 and has several published anthems.

On the September 11, 2015, episode of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Stephen Colbert apologized to Benjamin, his choir teacher at the Porter-Gaud School, for being a poor student.

Benjamin Hutto died of gallbladder cancer on 29 September 2015.