| Ben Brussell Ben studied violin and viola with the San Francisco Symphony’s Leonid Gesin and Daniel Kobialka and holds a Bachelors degree from San Francisco State University in viola performance and musicology. As a violist, he has studied chamber music with Laszlo Varga and classical composition privately with Ursula Mamlok of the Manhattan School of Music. He has also formally studied trumpet, piano, and classical voice. He is a graduate of the Masters Level program in film scoring composition at the University of Southern California. There he studied with film composer legends Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, and David Raksin. He studied classical mandolin with John Bilezikjian in Los Angeles. Ben has performed as a soloist with the Berkeley and Bakersfield Symphonies. He also has performed in numerous film scores and recordings. His classical mandolin debut was in 1999 in Davies Symphony Hall, in the premiere performance of the Hoffman Serenade in D Major with San Francisco Symphony violist, Leonid Gesin. Ben is the founder of the world music ensemble, KLEZMANIA! (1989 to present) & the Bay Area classical music ensemble, Luna Nova Quartet (2001). Ben has been a member of the Modern Mandolin Quartet and is currently active as a composer and freelance mandolinist and violinist. O1C Performances: Luna Nova Quartet Ben Brussell's KLEZMANIA! Ben Brussell's KLEZMANIA! Ben Brussell's KLEZMANIA! |
