Benjamin Carter (b. 2000) is a composer, conductor, pianist, and vocalist who serves as the Director of Traditional Worship at Watkins United Methodist Church in Louisville, KY. Carter received his B.M. in Music Composition from the University of Louisville in 2023, and his primary instructors included Drs. Marc Satterwhite and Steve Rouse in Composition, Dr. Anna Petrova in piano, and Prof. Erin Keesy in voice. He received his M.M. in Choral Conducting from UofL in 2025, during which his primary master instructors included Drs. Won Joo Ahn and Kent Hatteberg in Choral Conducting and a continuation of studies with Prof. Erin Keesy in voice. While at UofL, Benjamin also worked as a Music Theory Graduate Teaching Assistant, serving as the instructor of record for multiple theory courses offered by the School of Music.
Carter’s compositions have been premiered by a variety of professional ensembles, university ensembles, high school ensembles, and church choirs. In 2021, his choral piece A Winter Night was recognized as the most outstanding composition from a collegiate student by the Kentucky Music Educators Association, and his vocal music is featured in North Star Music’s Modern Music for New Singers: 21st Century American Art Songs, an anthology dedicated to curating leading vocal music by contemporary American composers. He has enjoyed a particularly fruitful relationship with the choirs at the University of Louisville, where he has written music for their University Chorus, Collegiate Chorale, and internationally-renowned Cardinal Singers over the years. At Watkins UMC, he directs the Chancel Choir and Handbell Ensemble as well as providing piano and organ for services, and both groups perform Carter’s hymn arrangements frequently. Carter is also in demand as an accompanist, and he serves as the Youth Performing Arts School’s choral accompanist in addition to serving as a staff accompanist for choirs and solo voice lessons at UofL. Since 2023, Carter has been a member of Dr. Kent Hatteberg’s professional ensemble, the Louisville Chamber Choir, and in December 2025, they premiered Carter’s arrangement of “The First Nöel.” Carter is always interested in new commission opportunities or collaborations, and he can be contacted at benjamin@benjamincarter-music.com, or through the Contact Form on his website: https://benjamincarter-music.com/get-in-touch/.