Benny held a 5 day residency at Harvard University. While there he received a commission for an original piece for their large orchestra with the premiere in the fall.

2005/2006

• Performance of Benny Golson's classical piano works (San Francisco 2005)
  
• In 2005 Benny was commission to write an original Orchestral work for the 100th Anniversary of the Juilliard School of Music.
  
• His composition "Above and Beyond" was performed on February 9, 2006 by the Julliard Jazz Orchestra with Benny as conductor and the orchestra's artistic director Victor L. Goines as soloist at the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York City.
  
• Then, a program titled '100 Years of Jazz In America', consisting solely of compositions by Benny Golson, was performed- this time with Victor L. Goines as the conductor and Benny as the soloist. The program contained such classics as: Blues March, Stablemates, I Remember Clifford, Whisper Not, Five Spot After Dark, Killer Joe and Along Came Betty.
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• Received an endorsement from the Yamaha Corporation of America
  
• Most Recent Commissions: Commission to write "A Three Piano Composition" for The Revenia Festival in Chicago

• Appeared in Steven Spielberg's film, "The Terminal" with Tom Hanks which premiered in June 2004

• On March 1 and 3 honored at the Lincoln Center with a concert entitled "The Magic of Benny Golson"
  
• In April, honored at Aarau, Switzerland

• Performances in Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil and Tel Aviv, Israel

• He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Instrumental for his performance of "Body and Soul" from his CD "Tenor Legacy"
  
• Performed at a festival in Leipzig, Germany using Johann Sebastian Bach's organ in the Sankt Thomas Kirche

• Received the BMI Music Award for the Cosby TV Show

• Received the American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts
  
• Wrote the score for a feature film "Ed's Next Move" for Orion Pictures
  
• Wrote the musical theme "Monk's Hat" for Bill Cosby's last season TV show
  
• A violin piece written for Itzhak Perlman premiered at Lincoln Center

• Received a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation
  
• His composition "I Remember Clifford" was choreographed and performed by Twyla Tharp and her ballet company

• Commissioned by Reader's Digest to write his first symphony "Two Faces" which premiered at Lincoln Center, New York. This concert also marked the world premiere of another of his compositions "Other Horizons" featuring guest soloist, Art Farmer

• Received honorary doctorates from William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ and Berklee School of Music, Boston, MA

• He composed the musical score for a four-part television PBS series "The Creative Spirit" presented by IBM which premiered in April of that year. Tony Randall, Steve Allen and Patty Duke hosted this series.
  
• On April 19, he received the Certificate of Commendation from Mayor Tom Bradley, City of Los Angeles, at the Easter Weekend Jazz Extravaganza.