Trained as a classical pianist, Benedict Tan has ventured and excelled in his interest in Jazz and Pop music. Upon completion of his National Service, he taught music and played occasionally in Jazz gigs. It was during this period of time that he received an invitation to accompany a ballet class, and with that he found his niche.

Benedict took up his first professional job as an accompanist for the Peoples’ Association Dance Company and later, as the resident accompanist for the Singapore Dance Theatre. In 2002, Benedict was invited to take up the position of Resident Accompanist at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, which he held till 2010. During his tenure in Hong Kong, he was also accompanying the Hong Kong Ballet Company. As a full-time accompanist at the academy, he worked closely with professional teachers to instill musicality in the students, and to inspire them to carve their professional careers upon graduation. This remains to be Benedict’s passion and goal, and he would gladly like to share his experience with SOTA’s students and faculty.

Benedict was commissioned to compose the music for the current Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing’s Syllabus (Australia) and produced his own CD for Allegro in collaboration with Tony Laser, an established dance practitioner and teacher. Throughout his career in the field of ballet accompaniment, he has also worked with various professional teachers and ballet companies. Upon his return to Singapore in 2011, he took up a part-time position with the School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA), LASALLE College of the Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. In 2015, he took up the full-time position in SOTA.

Benedict hopes to bring his own brand of musical style and sound to inspire Singapore's very own young talented dancers.