Benjamin Bowman
Bowman in December 2014
Bowman in December 2014
Background information
Born (1979-09-20) 20 September 1979 (age 44)
Urbana, Illinois, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)Violinist
Years active1992–present
LabelsRCA Red Seal, CHANDOS, ATMA Classique, Innova
Websitewww.bowmanviolin.com

Benjamin Walter Bowman (born September 20, 1979) is an American-Canadian violinist. The Metropolitan Opera and incoming Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin appointed Bowman as concertmaster as of the 2018-19 season, after a successful one-year term in 2017-18; he shares his role with David Chan.[1][2] Bowman was Grammy-nominated in 2016 for his recording with the ARC (Artists of the Royal Conservatory) Ensemble 'Chamber Works of Jerzy Fitelberg' on the Chandos label.[3] He has performed to critical acclaim throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He is a member or frequent guest artist for leading chamber music ensembles internationally, including the twice Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory of Music), Art of Time Ensemble, and Leondari Ensemble. Bowman was featured on the 2013 Juno-winning album Levant and the 2011 Juno-nominated disc Armenian Chamber Music with the Amici Chamber Ensemble. Until 2019, he was the concertmaster of the American Ballet Theatre orchestra (as of October 2014). He is an ensemble member of Orchestra of St. Luke's.[4]

Bowman's performances have been recorded for radio broadcast in Canada with the CBC, in the USA, the UK, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Korea. His discography includes recent solo and chamber-music releases on the RCA Red Seal, ATMA Classique, and Innova labels. Bowman received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In his spare time, he also composes and arranges music, and writes electronic music as a hobby.[5][6][7][8][9]

Education and early career

Bowman was born in Urbana, Illinois. He moved to Brandon, Manitoba, in 1981 where he started studying violin at the age of five. He studied with violinist Francis Chaplin from the age of nine until Chaplin's death in December 1993. Bowman then pursued his studies at Juilliard pre-college under the tutelage of Sally Thomas for one year before moving to Toronto to study with violinist/conductor David Zafer. At the age of 17 Bowman was invited to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Aaron Rosand [10]

Recordings

Bowman

Sources

  1. ^ "Yannick Nézet-Séguin Appoints Benjamin Bowman as new Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra" Archived 2018-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, Metropolitan Opera Official Website, February 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Violinist Benjamin Bowman named Metropolitan Opera Orchestra concertmaster", The Strad, June 7, 2017.
  3. ^ "Benjamin Bowman Nominations", Grammy Awards, Feb 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "Benjamin Bowman • Orchestra of St. Luke's". Orchestra of St. Luke's. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  5. ^ Bowman, Benjamin "Official Website", 2014.
  6. ^ LinkedIn Profile,"Benjamin Bowman", Accessed 15 January 2014.
  7. ^ Terauds, John, "Man with the Golden Bow" (feature), Toronto Star, 18 February 2010.
  8. ^ CBC Music Profile, Benjamin Bowman Archived 2015-02-19 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 15 January 2014.
  9. ^ Eatock, Colin, "National Ballet Orchestra: Out of the pit, one plié at a time" (review), Globe and Mail, 4 April 2012. Accessed 15 January 2014.
  10. ^ The Violin Channel,"New York’s Metropolitan Opera Announce New Concertmaster", Accessed June 7, 2017.
  11. ^ ARC Ensemble / Sony Press Release
  12. ^ iTunes Shop
  13. ^ Canadian Encyclopedia
  14. ^ iTunes Shop
  15. ^ Levant, iTunes Shop
  16. ^ CARAS Online 2013 Winner
  17. ^ Chandos website
  18. ^ 1939 on iTunes
  19. ^ Chamber Works of Jerzy Fitelberg on iTunes [1].
  20. ^ Conservatory of Music News[permanent dead link]