Benjamin Smith (cello), 18, is a freshman at Vanderbilt University, where he studies cello performance with Felix Wang. Originally from Canada, he began playing at age five at the Omaha Conservatory of Music under Tim Strang. In 2018, he moved to Columbia, MO, to study with Maestro Kirk Trevor and Dr. Henry Myers.
Benjamin is a 2024 winner of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and was recently a fellow and featured performer on NPR's From The Top. He also won the 2021 Odyssey Concerto Competition and is a two-time recipient of the Missouri Academy of Music Summer Scholarship. This scholarship allowed him to study at renowned summer festivals such as the Brevard Music Center, Hilton Head Chamber Music Institute, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival, working with world-class musicians like David Ying, Alistair MacRae, and Felix Wang.
He has performed in masterclasses for renowned cellists including Jun Seo, Karen Becker, David Kim, Alan Richardson, Jennifer Culp, Mike Block, Yeesun Kim, Amit Peled, and Paul Katz. Benjamin has also participated in chamber music masterclasses with the Aeolus and Calder Quartets. He has performed with the Missouri Symphony and is an active member of both the Missouri Symphony Conservatory orchestras and chamber groups.