Bio

Dr. Ben Carrasquillo joined the faculty of the Penn State School of Music in 2025, where he serves as Assistant Professor of Trombone. Previously on faculty at Eastern Illinois University, he enjoys a dynamic and multifaceted career as a performer, educator, composer and arranger.

As an in-demand clinician, Carrasquillo has performed recitals and given masterclasses across the U.S. Recent appearances include Ohio State University, the University of Iowa, Boise State University, Ball State University, Illinois State University, Western Illinois University, and the University of South Alabama. He has been a clinician for the Illinois Music Educators Association at the district and All-State levels and has served on the faculty for the Illinois Summer Youth Music Pre-College Brass Week and Eastern Music Camp.

Carrasquillo leads a diverse performance career and has held positions or performed with symphony orchestras including the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, the Heartland Festival Orchestra, and the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra. As a jazz and commercial player, he has performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Temptations and the Four Tops, the Beach Boys, Jukebox Saturday Night, Tito Carrillo’s “Luminance,” the national tour of Chicago: The Musical, and more.

Carrasquillo is a founding member of the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective, a Chicago-based ensemble that “blends the heart of Afro-Caribbean rhythms with the sophistication of modern jazz.” Carrasquillo has performed and given clinics with the ACJC across the U.S., featuring engagements at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in Chicago, IL, the Bop Stop in Cleveland, OH, and others. The band’s latest album, Fiesta at Caroga, and other releases can be found on Spotify and other streaming platforms. Their new album, Cortadito, will release in late 2025. Learn more at www.acjcmusic.com.

Carrasquillo’s achievements include winning the American Trombone Workshop’s Division I Solo Competition and being named a finalist in other ATW and International Trombone Association competitions. He became the first trombonist to win the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, and performed Tomasi’s “Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra” with the UISO the following February. He is an active member of the International Trombone Association and Jazz Educators Network and has performed, adjudicated or presented at conferences for both organizations. Compositions and arrangements of Carrasquillo’s have been performed nationally and internationally, and his works for trombone soloist and ensembles are published through Cherry Classics.

Carrasquillo received his bachelor’s degree in music performance and jazz studies from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, AL. His primary teachers were Jon Whitaker and Chris Kozak. He completed his master’s degree in jazz studies, as well as his doctoral degree in performance and literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, under the tutelage of Jim Pugh.

You can contact Ben at bmcarrasquillo@gmail.com.