Countertenor
Benedict began singing from a very early age. With both parents as choral musicians, he was encouraged to sing whenever possible, leading him to join the St Margaret's Church choir, Oxford. This gave him an excellent foundation in choral singing, under the direction of his father, Richard Goodall. During his childhood, Benedict also sang in many county youth choirs, giving him the opportunity to perform in concerts as well as for the church.
Upon moving to Birmingham, Benedict was appointed as an Alto Choral Scholar at St Philip's Cathedral. A year later he was promoted to Lay Clerk after displaying the professional attributes required for the position. With the cathedral, Benedict sang multiple services each week, as well as concerts in St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham Town Hall, and in Redon, France. Benedict also sang in services for broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, and BBC West Midlands.
From 2019 to 2021, Benedict was an Alto Stipendiary Clerk at Magdalen College, Oxford singing multiple services each week, in concerts and performances across Oxford, and for recordings to broadcast online and for a CD release under the Opus Arte label. Benedict was proud to be one of the inaugural Lay Clerks at Coventry Cathedral, with whom he sang for four months, before taking the decision to focus more on conducting.
He currently sings with the choir of the Birmingham Oratory; a professional choir which performs high-standard early polyphony each week.
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At the University of Birmingham, Benedict enjoyed singing with many ensembles. In his first year, he worked with the Birmingham University Singers and the University Camerata - a choir led by the MA choral conductors. He also began singing with the University Voices, leading to his first BBC prom at the Royal Albert Hall (John Adams's Harmonium, under the direction of Ed Gardner). Benedict's prominence as choral singer at the university led him to sing with many other ensembles such as both Chamber Choirs, the University Chorus, and the University Consort, performing in many concerts in the Elgar Concert Hall at the university, and Birmingham Symphony Hall alongside the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Alongside his choral work, Benedict is a keen chamber musician and soloist. He most notably sings with The Acafellas - a barbershop quartet which he formed with friends in 2018 - singing in concerts and events across the university. Following their recent success at the Chipping Norton Music Festival 2022, they hope to record a CD and continue to perform across the country.
As a soloist, Benedict has performed with the University Chorus, the Oxford ProMusica Singers, and Oxford's NewChoir. He has given recitals both in Birmingham and Oxford, promoting the countertenor voice. Solo repertoire includes Bach's Vergnügte Ruh, Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus, Rubbra's Three Psalms, Quilter's Five Shakespeare Songs, and Vaughan Williams's Four Last Songs and Four Poems by Fredegond Shove.