Award-winning jazz pianist, composer and accordionist Ben R. has been described as “mature beyond his years,” (Sea of Tranquility), an “impressive talent” (All About Jazz), who “caresses [the music] with the reverence it merits” (Downbeat Magazine). An internationally-touring bandleader, Ben has performed with his trio throughout the United States, including extensive tours of the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast, as well as in Canada and Japan. He was a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall's Stern-Perelman Auditorium with Maestro Reona Ito's New York Harmonic Band, and has appeared at numerous prestigious venues throughout the world, including at the Appel Room at Lincoln Center, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, the Library of Congress and Himawari-No-Sato Concert Hall in Yokohama. Since the release of his debut album, Instead (4 stars, Downbeat), which features Curtis Lundy on bass and Billy Hart on drums, Ben has received great critical acclaim. Jack Walton from the South Bend Tribune writes that “Rosenblum displays complete mastery of the genre’s technical and emotional requirements . . . [and] pursues the music’s challenges with youthful daring," while C. Michael Bailey from All About Jazz notes that “there do emerge conservatoire aces with grit in their imaginations and a facility to express such in their playing. Ben is one such performer/composer." Ben was a finalist at the 2015 American Jazz Piano Competition in Melbourne, FL and at the 2016 Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, FL, and his composition has received multiple awards from the ASCAP Foundation and the Downbeat Student Music Awards. He has worked extensively with such jazz luminaries as Curtis Lundy, Neal Smith, Winard Harper, Wayne Escoffery and Deborah Davis, and he has shared the stage with Houston Person, Sean Jones, Dave Stryker, Steve Nelson, TS Monk and many others. Ben was born and raised in New York City, and is a graduate of the joint program between Columbia University and Juilliard School of Music.

 

Ben is the founder of the Columbia Jazz House, a student-run jazz advocacy group at Columbia University that promotes jazz on campus through concerts, educational workshops and jam sessions. On December 28th, 2015, the Columbia Jazz House was featured in a New York Times article called "Melodies Night and Day in This Columbia Dorm." Ben teaches classical, jazz and improv music to students of all ages and skill levels ranging from young beginners to aspiring professionals. Ben’s goal is to always work directly with his students in order to identify what they are most excited about and set manageable steps towards their goals. Ben enjoys teaching efficient ways of practicing and developing his students’ skills in a way that feels accessible and fun.