The Musical Wizard Of Alderley Edge

A rare musical talent who has just began a major appointment with the BBC Philharmonic is making Alderley Edge his home. ROBERT BEALE went to meet 28-year-old conductor Ben Gernon

- Robert Beale

IN A LEAFY lane in Alderley Edge you’ll find the home of a young man who is going to make a big impact on the classical music world. He’s Ben Gernon, and if you’re a classical fan and don’t already know that name, you soon will.

Ben, 28, is one of the youngest conductors ever to hold a titled post with a major BBC orchestra: he was appointed last year (2017) as Principal Guest Conductor of the Manchester-based BBC Philharmonic. It’s a demanding role, with music-making in the studio at MediaCity in Salford and public performances around the country, and the first concert he’s giving in its flagship Bridgewater Hall series in Manchester since his appointment is coming up in March.

Ben and his girlfriend, Mary, moved from Sweden to Cheshire last summer – in one sense it was a homecoming to the region, as, though he was born in Essex and raised in Shropshire, his father is from Bolton and as a child Ben often visited his grandmother there.

Now he and Mary, an oboist whom he met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama several years ago, have made Alderley Edge their home, in a house near to the station.

Ben’s an outdoor guy, and loves walking in the countryside (and running), so the Cheshire town had a strong pull for him. ‘It took a long time to find the right house,’ he says. ‘We’re renting at the moment, but hoping possibly to buy.

‘The stories of Alderley Edge fascinate me. I’ve just started rereading Alan Garner’s books, based on the legends of the Wizard of Alderley.’

He and Mary like to visit tea rooms and take the ‘Wizard Walk’ up the back of the Edge and down again – ‘We tend to do that about twice a week’ – but, asked for their favourite Cheshire beauty spot, they choose the Macclesfield Forest.