Benjamin Van Vliet
Suzuki Violin/Viola; Chamber Music; Fiddle
Benjamin Van Vliet is an experienced violin educator specializing in the Suzuki method for students from beginning to advanced levels. Ben has taught at the Upper Valley Music Center since 2011, where he is Executive Director and teaches chamber music and fiddle in addition to his private studio. His students perform frequently, are regularly accepted to festivals, and have received multiple first place awards in competitions. Ben has been published in the American Suzuki Journal and has presented at the Suzuki Association of the Americas National Conference. Ben has registered formal Suzuki training with the Suzuki Association of the Americas in Violin Books 1-10, including long-term training with Teri Einfeldt at the Hartt School of Music, and additional training with Nancy Lokken, Alice Joy Lewis, Doris Preucil, Thomas Wermuth, Ronda Cole, Michele Higa George, and Allen Lieb. Ben holds a B.A. in Music from Vassar College and a M.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he studied violin with Elizabeth Chang and viola with Kathryn Lockwood, and where he was a recipient of the Lark Chamber Music Award. In addition to his love of classical music, Ben plays fiddle for contra dances from time to time.