Baritone Ben Flanders is the founder and Artistic Director of the art song collective “Slavic Voices” which specializes in the song repertoire of Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic. A teacher of the Alexander Technique and a former professional French horn player, Flanders has been a member of Cincinnati’s Vocal ArtsEnsemble since 2013 and has sung with the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, Collegium Cincinnati, the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas, and other groups in the Cincinnati area. Flanders has performed or covered roles for Dayton Opera, Concert Nova, Queen City Opera, Nanoworks Opera, and others as well as performing as a chorister with the Cincinnati and Dayton operas. He has performed as a recitalist in the U.S. and Ukraine and is committed to bringing people together through music and poetry in the languages of eastern and central Europe. Recent recital appearances include the University of Vermont and Idaho State University, and the world premier of the song cycle “Sometimes it Happens So” by Kile Smith at the Cincinnati Art Museum.