Benjamin Daniel Zisook is a musician currently performing in a cross section of genres in Chicago. Ben has most recently performed in the DuBuque Symphony Orchestra, International Chamber artists with the Tower Chorale and in the Blue Line Brass Band at the Historic Taylor St. Tap. Ben is a Teaching artist in El Sistema in the Lawndale neighborhood as part of Ravinia Festival's Reach*Teach*Play program.

 

Benjamin is the Principal Bass Trombonist of the Lakeshore Symphony Orchestra and the South Loop Symphony Orchestra and acted as first extra tenor and bass trombonist for the Wheaton Municipal Band. Benjamin has performed with The Elmhurst Symphony, The Northwest Indiana Symphony, The New Philharmonic, the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and The Tuscarawas Philharmonic.

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Benjamin earned his Bachelor's degree bass trombone performance at the University of Michigan with instruction from David Jackson. He earned his Master's Degree at DePaul under Charles Vernon and Tom Matta. He has also studied Improvisation under Vincent Chandler, Dennis Wilson, Mark Kirschenman and Ed Sarath.  Ben has been mentored in orchestration and orchestral management by Cliff Colnot. Ben was an inaugural participant in the Third Coast Trombone Retreat in 2014 with Nick Schwartz, Jeff Dees, Pete Sullivan and John Sebastian Vera.  

 

Benjamin also studied Javanese Gamelan for three years under Susan Walton of Gamelan Kyai Telaga Madu.  Ben  created the music for Pangaea in 2016. Pangaea is a short film about the social impacts of Hurricane Katrina.

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