Ben Grossman

Ben Grossman is a vielle à roue (hurdy gurdy/Drehleier) player, percussionist, composer and improviser. He began playing guitar before he hit his double digits. At the age of twelve, he began two years of private study of the double bass, at the same time getting an introduction to symphonic percussion. When he discovered modern composers, he began a self- directed study of Gamelan, Indian Classical, twentieth century music and what ever else he could get his hands on.

Shortly after, he became a student of contemporary, experimental music, devoting himself to percussion, instrument building, and modern approaches to improvisation and composition. As his interests ranged, so too did his attention to traditional instruments grow. His late teens saw him playing Arabic and Celtic frame drums, goblet-drums, experimenting with the Arabic lute (ud) as well as with instruments of his own design and construction.

In the early nineties, Ben became fascinated with traditional European and Celtic music, playing bodhrán with Irish folk bands, getting involved in Balkan music and building and playing his own vielle à roue (hurdy gurdy). In 1997 he received a Canada Council grant to study ud and Turkish classical music in Turkey, and in 2001 to study vielle à roue with Simon Wascher (Vienna) and Valentin Clastrier (central France).

Over the last fifteen years Ben has performed and recorded with an assortment of traditional, folk, experimental, early music, jazz, pop and fusion groups. He has performed with the Toronto Consort, Mastika, Ensemble Polaris, The Altan Yildiz Orkestar, BT, Loreena McKennitt, James Keelaghan, Mercan Dede, Tim Posgate, Bobby Watt, Basic Elements, Sean O’Connor, The Sculpins, Fools Dance, Oliver Schroer and the Stewed Tomatoes, Laurel MacDonald, Brandon Scott- Beshara, Anne Lederman, La Nef, Skye Consort, Pilgrim's Trail Mix, members of Rare Air, Laridenn, Kitty's Kitchen, Ensemble Ben Trobar, Doula, Rhea's Obsession, Loretto Ried and Brian Taheny, Joyce's Folly, Charley Roby, Îhsan Özgen, amongst others. For the last few years, Ben has toured the US with electronic music innovator BT and extensively in North America and Europe with Loreena McKennitt. He has also performed solo at festivals and has appears often at ambient, experimental and improvised music venues around Toronto, Montreal and across Canada over the last 10 years.

Ben's work has appeared on over eighty CDs (detailed below). He can also be heard on film soundtracks, radio dramas, and in television shows and commercials. Ben has also composed music and sound design for the Bravo documentary Voices of Dissent and for various theatre productions in Toronto including the popular Ionesco double bill by Soul Pepper, 2001.

Ben has also been active in music education, teaching bodhrán and vielle privately, in workshops, and at festivals. In conjunction with Barry Prophet, and the Ontario Arts Council, he developed a program of workshops on music, physics, and the history of tuning through the use of ten monochords built for the project. In 1999, he was engaged in a Canada Council and Ontario Arts Council assisted composition project which sought to bring together his acoustic and electronic performance work.

Ben's main focus now is the vielle à roue and it's applications in early, traditional, experimental and ambient music, and the exploration of all of the sound possibilities of this 'acoustic synthesizer'

Discography and Credits

-Mastika: Neat!, 1995

-The Pursuit of Happiness: Where's the Bone, 1995

-Andy Stochansky: While You Slept, 1995

-Andy Stochansky: The Glory Remix, 1995

-Veda Hille: Spine, 1996

-Kitty's Kitchen: Kitty's Kitchen, 1996

-Ken Dunn: Precious Life, 1996

-Teresa Doyle: Dance to Your Daddy, 1996

-Marc Jordan: Cool Jam Black Earth, 1996

-Oliver Schroer: Stewed Tomatoes, 1996

-Mychael Danna: The Sweet Hereafter (soundtrack), 1997

-Gregg Lawless: Greggorian Chance, 1997

-Brandon Scott and Lizzie Shanks: Demonstratives, 1997

-Mary Anderson-Buchanan: Gentle Airs, 1997

-Barry Prophet and Janice Pomer: Crystal Bones, 1997

-Ron and Connie Hynes: 11:11, 1997

-Eileen McGann: Heritage, 1997

-Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna: A Celtic Romance, 1998

-Musical Reflections/Canadiana: Maritime Celtic Traditions, 1998

-Mastika, Staro Selo, Altin Yildiz Orkestar, Neda Voda: Balkan Journeys Closer to

Home, 1998

-Oliver Schroer: Celtica, 1998

-Various: A Celtic Christmas Story, 1998

-Teresa Doyle: If Fish Could Sing, 1998

-Anne Lederman: Come From Every Way, 1998

-Modabo: The Many and the One, 1998

-Lenny Gallant: Lifeline, 1998 -Besharah: Cereal Suits, 1998

-Karen Linsley: The Road to Roswell, 1999

-Bobby Watt, Holmes Hooke, Oliver Schroer: Caught by the Tale, 1999

-Rob Crabtree: The Piper's Legacy, 1999

-James Keelaghan: Road, 1999

-Andy Stochansy: Radio Fusebox, 1999

-The Toronto Consort: The Little Barley-Corne, 1999

-Classical Kids: Song of the Unicorn, 1999

-Mary Jane Lamond: Làn Dùil, 1999

-Various: World Playground, 1999

-Soul Drummers: Talkin' Drum, 1999

-Aradia Ensemble: Charpentier: Noels and Christmas Motets, 1999

-Ensemble Polaris: Midnight Sun, 2000

-Rob Crabtree: The Piper's Chritmas, 2000

-The Toronto Consort: The Way of the Pilgrim, 2000

-Teresa Doyle: Cradle on the Waves, 2000

-Deanna Knight: Shadow of a Star, 2000

-Cate Crossen: Voice of the Celtic Heart 2000

-Ken Whiteley: Listening, 2000

-Anne Lederman: 7 Cats, 2000

-Michelle Rasky: What I Meant to Say, 2000 *

-Laurel MacDonald: Stars and Elements, 2000

-Terry McKenna: Throw the House Out of the Windowe, 2001 ‡

-Doug Barr: You're Funny, 2001

-Allison Lupton: My True Love, 2001

-Nicholas Williams: The Crooked River, 2001

-James Keelaghan: Home, 2002

-Eileen McGann: Beyond the Storm, 2002

-Ken Perlman: Northern Banjo, 2002

-Bobby Watt: Watt Next?, 2002

-The Toronto Consort: Mariners and Milkmaids, 2002

-Mernie!: Flowers of Forgiveness, 2002

-Kristin Sweetland: Root, Heart and Crown, 2002

-Aradia Ensemble: Charpentier: Noels and Christmas Motets, Vol.2, 2002

-Debbie Carroll: Up and Over the Moon, 2003

-David Leask: Tightrope of Dreams, 2003

-Loretto Reid: The Children of Lir. 2003

-The Toronto Chamber Choir: Welcome my Lord Sir Christmas, 2003

-BT: Music from and Inspired by the film Monster, 2004

-Maria Antonakos: Mystras: Siren Songs of the Mediterranean, 2004

-Laura Cesar: Windrose, 2004‡

-Skye Consort: Grands Succes du Deuxieme Millenaire, 2004

-Ensemble Polaris: Not Much is Worse Than a Troll, 2005

-Ian Robb: Jiig, 2005

-Alison Melville: She’s Sweetest When She’s Naked, 2005

-Charlie Roby: Ramble & Scuffle, 2006

-Ima Ensemble: Bad Monkey Bad Bad Monkey, 2006

-Toronto Consort: The Da Vinci Collection, 2006

-Mercan Dede: breath/nefes 2006

-Loreena McKennitt: An Ancient Muse, 2006

-Allison Lupton: Fly Like Swallows, 2007

-Kristin Sweetland: Own Sweet Time 2007

-Ben Grossman: Macrophone, 2007

-Michael Kaeshammer: Days Like These, 2007

-Serena Ryder: If Your Memory Serves You Well, 2007

-Mercan Dede: 800, 2007

-Loreena McKennitt: A Midwinter Night's Dream, 2008

-Brenna MacCrimmon: Kulak Misafiri, 2008

-Patrick Graham: Rheó, 2008

-The Toronto Consort: The Queen, 2009

-Alison Melville/The Bird Project: Something in the Air, 2009*

-Ensemble Polaris: Vikings on Vacation, 2009

-Kathy Reid-Naiman: Sing the Cold Winter Away, 2009

-Loreena McKennitt: A Mediterranean Odyssey, 2009

* co-producer ‡ producer

Sound design/composition for Theatre:

-Moriah Productions: The Offering, 1999

-Theatre Extasis: Not Faust, 1999

-Actor's Equity Showcase: The Island of the Mighty, 2000

-Soul Pepper Theatre: The Bald Soprano/The Lesson, 2001

-Modern Times Stage Company: The Chairs, 2001

-Cahoots/Theatre Passe Muraille: Dreams of Blond and Blue, 2002

-Tarragon Theatre: Kingfisher Days, 2003

-Stratford Festival of Canada: No Exit, 2003

-Tarragon Theatre: Bea’s Niece, 2005

-Tarragon Theatre: Alice’s Affair, 2005

-Soulpepper Theatre: Olympia, 2005

Feature film Soundtracks (player):

-Atom Egoyan: The Sweet Hereafter, 1997

-Allan Moyle: Xchange, 2000

-Aaron Woodley: Rhinoceros Eyes, 2003/2006

-Patty Jenkins: Monster, 2003

-Ian Iqbal Rashid: Touch of Pink, 2004

-Ali Kazimi: Continuous Journey, 2004

-Bradley Raymond: Tinker Bell, 2008

-Liz Mashall: Water on the Table, 2010 Contact

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