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A native of Wilmington, DE, violinist Benjamin Shute studied at the New England Conservatory (DMA, BM) and the conservatories of Freiburg and Frankfurt, where his principal teachers included Rainer Kussmaul (first concertmaster, Berliner Philharmoniker), Bernhard Forck (concertmaster, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin), Lucy Chapman, and Masuko Ushioda. Following his solo debut in the Mendelssohn Concerto with Stephen Gunzenhauser and the Delaware Symphony, he has enjoyed collaborations as soloist with orchestras in the States and Europe in concertos/concert works of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Paganini, Sarasate, Vivaldi, and others.
Chamber music activities include collaborations with colleagues in leading positions with international orchestras (e.g., Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, RAI Turin, Hong Kong) and holding posts at the conservatories of Freiburg, Trossingen, Bern, and Cagliari as well as American institutions such as NEC, Peabody, Longy, NYU, CUNY, Rutgers, Boston Conservatory, Boston University, and Temple University. Notable among recent activities was the project "In Sara Levy's Salon" with Rebecca Cypess and the Raritan players (period instruments), exploring the role of Sara Levy—a Jewish woman in 18th-century Berlin—in preserving the legacy of J. S. Bach. The project included performances moderated by Bach scholar Christoph Wolff and an eponymous recording (Acis Productions) that was awarded by full 5 stars by Classical Music (UK). Benjamin also collaborates regularly with harpsichordist Anastasia Abu Bakar as the Highlands Duo. In 2017 the duo recorded their forthcoming debut album and held residencies at Dickinson College and Wheaton Conservatory.
Among his various orchestral activities, Benjamin served as concertmaster of the Boston Chamber Orchestra in select projects from 2010 to 2013, including a tour of Japan and various recordings that included concertmaster solos in Elgar's Serenade for strings. From 2009 to 2012 he served as co-founding concertmaster/director of the NEC Early Music Society, leading the ensemble in performances on and off campus, including a concerto gala at the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series, where he also presented a lecture-recital on the solo violin works of Bach. Period instrument orchestras with which he has collaborated include Ars Viva Freiburg, Grand Harmonie, and Brandywine Baroque.
As a teacher, Benjamin has served as an assistant professor at Oklahoma Baptist University, visiting assistant professor at Dickinson College, and adjunct faculty member at Cairn University and Cecil College. He has also made guest performance and teaching appearances at institutions including MIT, Rutgers, Bucknell, West Chester (PA), Youngstown State, and East Tennessee State as well as multiple appearances at the University of Delaware. Summer activities have included faculty positions at the International Chamber Music Courses and Festival (Positano, Italy, and Château du Val, France), the Chichibu International Music Festival (Japan), Youth and Muse (at the Boston Conservatory), and the Vermont Music and Arts Center. He has been a regular faculty member of the Csehy Summer School of Music since 2007.
In addition to his performance activities, he is author of the book Sei Solo: Symbolum? The Theology of J. S. Bach's Solo Violin Works (Pickwick/Wipf & Stock, 2016) as well as critical reconstructions of Bach's lost D-minor violin concerto (BWV 1052R) and incompletely surviving D-major sinfonia (BWV 1045), published by PRB Productions. His compositions have been performed by the Brandywine Baroque Orchestra and ensembles of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (UK).
Chamber music activities include collaborations with colleagues in leading positions with international orchestras (e.g., Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, RAI Turin, Hong Kong) and holding posts at the conservatories of Freiburg, Trossingen, Bern, and Cagliari as well as American institutions such as NEC, Peabody, Longy, NYU, CUNY, Rutgers, Boston Conservatory, Boston University, and Temple University. Notable among recent activities was the project "In Sara Levy's Salon" with Rebecca Cypess and the Raritan players (period instruments), exploring the role of Sara Levy—a Jewish woman in 18th-century Berlin—in preserving the legacy of J. S. Bach. The project included performances moderated by Bach scholar Christoph Wolff and an eponymous recording (Acis Productions) that was awarded by full 5 stars by Classical Music (UK). Benjamin also collaborates regularly with harpsichordist Anastasia Abu Bakar as the Highlands Duo. In 2017 the duo recorded their forthcoming debut album and held residencies at Dickinson College and Wheaton Conservatory.
Among his various orchestral activities, Benjamin served as concertmaster of the Boston Chamber Orchestra in select projects from 2010 to 2013, including a tour of Japan and various recordings that included concertmaster solos in Elgar's Serenade for strings. From 2009 to 2012 he served as co-founding concertmaster/director of the NEC Early Music Society, leading the ensemble in performances on and off campus, including a concerto gala at the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series, where he also presented a lecture-recital on the solo violin works of Bach. Period instrument orchestras with which he has collaborated include Ars Viva Freiburg, Grand Harmonie, and Brandywine Baroque.
As a teacher, Benjamin has served as an assistant professor at Oklahoma Baptist University, visiting assistant professor at Dickinson College, and adjunct faculty member at Cairn University and Cecil College. He has also made guest performance and teaching appearances at institutions including MIT, Rutgers, Bucknell, West Chester (PA), Youngstown State, and East Tennessee State as well as multiple appearances at the University of Delaware. Summer activities have included faculty positions at the International Chamber Music Courses and Festival (Positano, Italy, and Château du Val, France), the Chichibu International Music Festival (Japan), Youth and Muse (at the Boston Conservatory), and the Vermont Music and Arts Center. He has been a regular faculty member of the Csehy Summer School of Music since 2007.
In addition to his performance activities, he is author of the book Sei Solo: Symbolum? The Theology of J. S. Bach's Solo Violin Works (Pickwick/Wipf & Stock, 2016) as well as critical reconstructions of Bach's lost D-minor violin concerto (BWV 1052R) and incompletely surviving D-major sinfonia (BWV 1045), published by PRB Productions. His compositions have been performed by the Brandywine Baroque Orchestra and ensembles of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (UK).
