Hailed for his innovative and eclectic musical career, Benjamin Verdery tours regularly throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, performing at major venues and festivals. As a recording artist, Verdery has released more than 17 albums, some featuring works by leading composers of our time who have created music for Verdery, including composers Martin Bresnick, David Leisner, Frederic Hand, Elizabeth Brown, Dan Asia, Van Stiefel, Roberto Sierra, Aaron Jay Kernis, Hannah Lash, Christopher Theofanidis, Ezra Laderman, Bryce Dessner, Jack Vees, Thomas Flippin and Ingram Marshall.

He has also created and released several exquisitely filmed videos in collaboration with other artists. Verdery has recorded and/or performed with such diverse artists as Andy Summers, William Coulter, Simon Powis, Leo Kottke, Anthony Newman, Jessye Norman, Wayne Escoffery, James Taylor (tenor), Ettore Causa, Paco Peña, Hermann Prey, John Williams, hip-hop artist Billy Dean Thomas, beat box/vocal percussionist Marc Martin, Jiji, Nano Stern and the St. Lawrence String Quartet.

A prolific, published composer in his own right, many of Verdery’s compositions have been performed, recorded, and published over the years. Several of today’s most renowned guitarists have recorded and performed his works including John Williams, David Russell, the Assad Duo, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Guitar Trek.

In 2023, Ben released “A Giant Beside You” for ReEntrant/New Focus Records with Ulysses Quartet. Per kathodik webzine: “An exciting sonic journey, masterfully led by Verdery”. They perform Byrce Dessner’s compelling composition Quintet for Hight Strings, Leonard Bernsteins’s Clarinet Sonata, arranged for string quartet and guitar by Verdery, Javier Farias’ Andean Suite, and inventive works by Ben Verdery About to Fall and A Giant Beside You.

He has been commissioned to compose works for guitar solo, duo, large ensembles, and film. His Scenes from Ellis Island, for guitar orchestra, has been extensively broadcast and performed at festivals and universities in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Europe.

Since 1985, Verdery has been guitar professor at the Yale School of Music. From 2007-2019 he served as Artistic Director of 92NY’s Art of the Guitar series and as Producer of his Maui Summer Master Class from 1999-2023.

Benjamin Verdery full biography_jan2023.pdf

“Verdery plays with the kind of infectious, childlike joy that lights up the whole stage”
Artsfile, Ottawa, Canada

“Master guitarist blurs boundaries” Dominion Post, Wellington, New Zealand

“Benjamin Verdery is without a doubt a great guitarist possessing an astonishing technique.”
Cordoba Times, Spain

“All Hail Benjamin Verdery”
San Francisco Classical Voice

“A unique and inspired festival, with the likes of The National, Bill Frisell, the Dirty Projectors.....but Classical guitarist Ben Verdery stole the show with his opening set.”
Music Now, 2008, Night 2: An Evening of American Guitar

“Here is a musician who knows what he wants and where he wants to go, and has the fiery technique to get him there. This kind of music making is exhilarating.“
St Louis Post-Dispatch

Benjamin Verdery with Ulysses Quartet

Featuring works by Bryce Dessner: Quintet for High Strings, Leonard Bernstein: Clarinet Sonata (arranged by Ben Verdery), Javier Farias: Andean Suite and a composition by Ben for string quartet and electric guitar.

Ben Verdery releases world premiere recording “A Giant Beside You” with the Award-Winning Ulysses Quartet

Released: June 16, 2023
ReEntrant/New Focus

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Bill & Ben
William Coulter and Benjamin Verdery
Their space is made of strings - acoustic strings. Strings have their own kind of chemistry, and steel and nylon played together have their own subtle dynamic and exchange…

“the best of two worlds” —Maui Beat, Hawaii

Benjamin Verdery with Mark Martin
From Aristotle
Ben teams up with beatbox master Mark Martin. Together they have developed a program that features a four-movement work performed attacca called From Aristotle. Co-composed by Verdery and Martin in 2016, the piece invites the listener to take a short sonic journey which includes sounds of nature, east Indian rhythms, Tuvan throat singing, lyrical vocal passages, parallel drum and guitar lines, and an extended Beat Box solo leading to the concluding baroque / gospel guitar lament. The text is taken from Aristotle’s book on Linguistics.