Ben Carrasquillo
Trombonist, Educator, Composer
Biography
Ben Carrasquillo is a versatile trombonist who actively performs classical, jazz, and commercial music. He is currently an active freelancer in Central Illinois, and maintains a private studio of middle and high school students in the Champaign-Urbana area.
Ben has received numerous awards and honors on both the classical and jazz sides of the instrument, including winning the Eastern Trombone Workshop (now American Trombone Workshop) Division 1 Classical Solo Competition (2012). He also competed as a finalist in the International Trombone Festival’s Robert Marsteller Competition (2013), the ETW Division 2 Classical Solo Competition (2014), and the ATW Division 1 Jazz Solo Competition (2015), as well as being named a member of the Fellow Class at the 2013 Alessi Seminar. In the summer of 2015, Ben was a member of the Disneyland All-American College Band, a highly prestigious program that selects 21 outstanding college musicians from across the United States to perform for 11 weeks at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. During this time he worked under Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern California and performed with world-renowned musicians such as Alex Iles, Sal Lozano, Wayne Bergeron, Gregg Field, John Clayton, Jiggs Whigham, Steve Houghton, and Rex Richardson.
Ben is also a founding member of Transit Brass, an eight-piece brass ensemble based in central Illinois. Transit Brass is dedicated to writing and performing original music for brass ensemble that spans the gap between classical and jazz.
Ben received his bachelor’s degree in music performance and jazz studies from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL. His teachers were Jon Whitaker and Chris Kozak. He recently completed his master’s degree in jazz studies from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, under the tutelage of Jim Pugh.
Ben has received numerous awards and honors on both the classical and jazz sides of the instrument, including winning the Eastern Trombone Workshop (now American Trombone Workshop) Division 1 Classical Solo Competition (2012). He also competed as a finalist in the International Trombone Festival’s Robert Marsteller Competition (2013), the ETW Division 2 Classical Solo Competition (2014), and the ATW Division 1 Jazz Solo Competition (2015), as well as being named a member of the Fellow Class at the 2013 Alessi Seminar. In the summer of 2015, Ben was a member of the Disneyland All-American College Band, a highly prestigious program that selects 21 outstanding college musicians from across the United States to perform for 11 weeks at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. During this time he worked under Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern California and performed with world-renowned musicians such as Alex Iles, Sal Lozano, Wayne Bergeron, Gregg Field, John Clayton, Jiggs Whigham, Steve Houghton, and Rex Richardson.
Ben is also a founding member of Transit Brass, an eight-piece brass ensemble based in central Illinois. Transit Brass is dedicated to writing and performing original music for brass ensemble that spans the gap between classical and jazz.
Ben received his bachelor’s degree in music performance and jazz studies from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL. His teachers were Jon Whitaker and Chris Kozak. He recently completed his master’s degree in jazz studies from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, under the tutelage of Jim Pugh.
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You can reach Ben at:
bmcarrasquillo@gmail.com. |
