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A native of San Francisco,
Ben has been an active professional music producer, composer, band leader, vocalist, violinist, and session and
concert mandolinist for nearly 20 years; based in San Francisco, the
Bay Area, and Los Angeles, California. Ben is the founder
of the world music ensemble KLEZMANIA! and the Luna Nova Quartet. He has also performed and toured with
Modern Mandolin Quartet. His focus as an instrumentalist has been
to create a unique and powerful voice for the classical and ethnic
mandolin.
As a musician
and bandleader, Ben seeks to surround himself with the finest of
musicians, whose talent encompasses both a passionate and creative
spirit. These synergistic elements are brought forth to engage the
listener and delight the soul for the best in live musical performance.
Ben's musical
background is in classical music where he has studied trumpet, violin,
viola, piano, classical voice, composition, and mandolin. He studied
violin and viola with the San Francisco Symphony's Leonid Gesin
and Daniel Kobialka and holds a Bachelor's degree in viola performance
and musicology from San Francisco State University. Ben is a graduate
of the Master's Level program in film scoring composition at the
University of Southern California. There, he studied with film composition
legends Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, and David Raksin.
Ben's love
for the mandolin and violin has a deep family connection along with a prolific
musical heritage. His grandfather, Max Gralnick, performed on violin,
viola and was "the call" for mandolin in Hollywood film
sessions from the mid 1920s through the early 1980s. His grandfather's
mandolin performance is featured in major Hollywood film classics
such as "the Godfather I" and "the Godfather II,"
"Zorba the Greek," "Spartacus," and "Dr.
Zhivago," to name just a few. He also played with Dean Martin
with his signature mandolin solo in the recording of "That's
Amore."
Ben currently enjoys teaching children and adults one on one and in classes in classical, jazz, klezmer, and Italian folk music on the mandolin, violin, viola, and voice. He teaches every week in Mill Valley at the Girotondo Italian School.
www.girotondoschool.org
For more information,
or further inquiries, please contact Ben directly at benb@bennybemusic.com
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