made his solo debut in 1988 with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande with the clarinet concertos by Carl Nielsen (Tonhalle Zurich) and by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Victoria Hall Geneva).
This was followed by radio and television productions as well as appearances as a soloist and chamber musician in the most famous concert halls (Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, Herkules Saal Munich, Concertgebow Amsterdam, Tonhalle Saal Zurich, Wigmore Hall London, etc.), as well as at international festivals in Europe and overseas such as Berliner Festwochen, Rome, Musicades Lyon, Vienna, Styriarte Graz, Steirischer Herbst, São Paulo, Sarasota, etc. He has worked with musicians such as
Heinz Holliger, Josef Suk, Bruno Giuranna, Josef Silverstein, Isabelle Faust, Karl Engel, Bruno Canino and Paul Badura-Skoda. Premieres of important composers such as Heinz Holliger, Elliott Carter, Luciano Berio, Krystof Penderecki, Bernhard Lang, Wolfgang von Schweinitz.
François Benda is today one of the most sought-after teachers in his field and one of the few who have mastered both clarinet systems.
From 1993-1997, he was Professor at the "Franz Liszt" Hochschule in
Weimar, 1995 he succeeded Hans-Rudolf Stalder at the Basel Music Academy and 1997 he got Professor at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. François Benda has held masterclasses for clarinet and chamber music at various music academies (University of Music in Vienna, Tokyo, Paris, Hanover, Sibelius Academy, Riga, Stuttgart, Bern)