Having studied with Brian Irvine at North Down College and with Michael Finnissy at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, Bennett states that "Striving for perfection leads me to boredom.
I like to be surprised by music, staying on the outside of things and occasionally dipping in and taking what I need to try to create something new.
[citation needed] Bennett's work has been commissioned and performed internationally by many different artists, organisations and ensembles including the PRSF, BBC, RTÉ, Moving on Music, Music Network and the arts councils of Ireland, Northern Ireland and England.
In the same year, he was commissioned to write a piece for the Northern Irish "Opera Shorts" series, which was performed in Belfast and in London as part of the Olympics Festival.
[4] He is currently at Birmingham Conservatoire where he is the recipient of a research fellowship and active as a teacher in the composition department.