Ben Van Wienen

trumpet

Ben loves to immerse himself in music every day by playing with Bur Oak Brass, working at Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, and attending local concerts. Proud to have studied trumpet with Mark Baldin, Martin Hodel, and Garrett Klein, he has also been featured in masterclasses with experts such as Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Burns, and Mark Ridenour. His deep passion for chamber music has been complemented by instruction from Brandon Ridenour, Matt and Kari Lee, Rex Martin, Will Scarlett, members of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, and others.

At Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Ben works as the Music Librarian & Artistic Coordinator where he prepares and distributes music, coordinates artistic operations, conducts music research, and manages IT systems. Alongside this role, he does freelance music engraving for clients such as Harper College and Luck’s Music Library.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Music in ethnomusicology from St. Olaf College and a Master of Science in library and information science from Syracuse University. As a student, he discovered his interest in librarianship, working as a Music Library Assistant and Performance Librarian for the St. Olaf Band and Minnesota Symphonic Winds. He also played trumpet in the St. Olaf Band, St. Olaf Jazz I, his brass quintet QuintEd, and sang in the St. Olaf Cantorei choir. His curiosity for music from around the world led him to perform with the Javanese Gamelan Ensemble, delve into Asian studies, and conduct independent musicological research in Mongolia. This work at the intersection of music, research, and performance continues to shape his career today.