Biography
Ben Geyer is a pianist, composer, and educator. At age eight, his parents found him playing at a friend’s piano and immediately enrolled him in lessons; at age twenty-six, he is now a Ph.D. student in Music Theory at the University of Kentucky.
Ben’s extensive experience includes two years on the New York City jazz scene. His debut album, The Narrative, was called “...Colorful, intriguing, and well worth hearing” by Scott Yanow of the Los Angeles Jazz Scene. It was recorded by The Ben Geyer Sextet, a New York-based ensemble which has played throughout the city and across New England.
Ben’s original music often narrates the unfolding plot of a story. For example, East of Eden Suite is based on John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name and tells the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. The Slip is an original work for three modern dancers and jazz sextet showing the ice molecule at play and disarray. Ben composed the incidental music for Finger Paint, an original play featured in the New York City International Fringe Festival.
As an educator, Ben has held adjunct positions at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and Nashua Community College (NH), and often appears at Rivier College in Nashua, NH as a vocal coach and guest lecturer. He has also taught private piano lessons to students of many ages, abilities, and interests.
Ben has played with trumpeter Stjepko Gut and studied with jazz legends Hal Galper and Jon Faddis, as well as concert pianist Ivan Davis. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Studio Music and Jazz, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, and a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from Purchase College, SUNY.
Photo by Katherine Walton
