Profile

Ben Barson’s work lives at the intersection of academic, activist, and performing arts worlds. He is an ASCAP award-winning composer and protégé of the late baritone saxophonist and composer, Fred Ho. He has been unrelenting is his commitment to make music that fights racism, capitalism, patriarchy, and the destruction of the planet. He has been acknowledged as a “Pittsburgh arts innovator “ (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) and a “groundbreaking artist” (Madison Isthmus); his compositions have been called “utterly compelling” (I Care if You Listen), “fully orchestrated and magnificently realized” (Vermont Standard) and “pushing boundaries in a well-conceived way.” (Midwest Review)  He is currently an artist-in-residence with the Ethnic Studies Institute at UConn-Storrs, along with the Afro Yaqui Music Collective.

Courses Taught

History of Jazz