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Benjamin Northey studied at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Music under John Hopkins graduating with a Master of Music degree in 2002 before being selected as the highest-placed applicant to the prestigious Sibelius Academy conducting class in Helsinki, Finland where he studied under Leif Segerstam and Atso Almila. His 2005 diploma concert with the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra was awarded the jury’s highest possible mark.

In 2001 Northey was awarded 1st Prize in the Symphony Australia Young Conductor of the Year Competition with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the directorship of legendary Finnish conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.  In 2006 Northey completed his final year of formal training in Maestro Panula’s conducting class at the Stockholm Royal Academy of Music.

In 2007 Northey was selected as one of three conductors worldwide to the International Conductor's Academy of the Allianz Cultural Foundation.  The Academy involves a mentorship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductors Vladimir Jurovsky and Christoph von Dohnanyi. In June 2008 Northey will conduct the LPO in concert at Royal Festival Hall.

Currently Principal Conductor of the Australia Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra under patron Sir Neville Marriner, Benjamin Northey made his professional debut with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2003 to critical acclaim and his European debut in 2005 with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.  He has since emerged as one of Australia's leading and most in demand conductors having appeared with all state orchestras in Australia and enjoying regular re-invitations.   In 2007 Northey made his debut with the State Opera of South Australia with Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore.

In April 2006 Northey led a critically acclaimed Swedish tour with the Sodra Halsinglands Orkesterforenings and also appeared as a guest conductor with the Futurum Ensemble Sinfonietta for the 2006 Stockholm New Music Festival.  He has assisted Leif Segerstam in Latvia with the Leipaja Symphony Orchestra and in Austria with the Graz Symphony Orchestra and has participated in international masterclasses in Russia with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and in Israel with the Haifa Symphony Orchestra and also in Sweden and Finland.

An advocate for contemporary Australian orchestral music, Northey has conducted new works by eminent composers including Peter Sculthorpe, Liza Lim, Brenton Broadstock, Ross Edwards, Nigel Westlake, Brett Dean, Graeme Koehne, Stuart Greenbaum, Calvin Bowman, Estelle Pizer, Katy Abbott, Kate Neal, David Chisholm and Matthew Hindson.  His performances of new Australian music include the European premiere of Brett Dean’s Ampitheatre, the world premiere of Brenton Broadstock’s Timeless and the Australian premiere of Liza Lim’s Songs Found in a Dream for the 2006 Melbourne International Festival of the Arts.  He is currently recording for ABC Classics record label.

Northey continues his involvement with education and community music in Australia through his role as Artistic Director of Melbourne’s Stonnington Symphony Orchestra and in Sydney and his performances with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. In 2005 he was a visiting artist at the Australian National Academy of Music and is currently a regular guest lecturer in performance at the University of Melbourne. He has been a guest speaker on conducting for the Victorian Department of Education and in 2006 was a member of the entrance exam panel for the Stockholm Royal College of Music conducting class.  In 2007 Northey conducted and presented the ‘MOVE’ workshops with Orchestra Victoria and also education concerts for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and The Queensland Orchestra.  Northey was a recipient of the 2003 Brian Stacey Memorial Trust Award under patron Sir Charles Mackerras for emerging Australian conductors and also the 2001 Nelly Apt Scholarship for studies in Israel.