William Bennett

British flautist and educator.
For the US oboist, please use William Bennett.
Born: 7th February 1936 London, England
Died: 11th May 2022 London, England
He studied at . His professional career started in 1958, when he accepted a position in the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra. In 1960 he went to the Sadler's Wells Orchestra for a year. He was Principal Flute of the London Symphony Orchestra (1967-1972), The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the English Chamber Orchestra. After that, he never became a full-time member of an orchestra again. In the 1980s, he was Professor of Flute at the , and he taught at the . He created his own instrument named "flauto di bassetto"; this extends the range of the flute down a minor third. Developed the Cooper scale and Bennett scale with flute makers Elmer Cole and Albert Cooper to tune flutes.
He was made an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for service to music.
His second wife was Michie Bennett (married in 1981).