Benjamin Lash
Adjunct Faculty - Cello
About
Cellist Benjamin Lash is based in Los Angeles and leads a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, studio musician, and educator. He was a top prizewinner in the Washington International Competition and has performed concertos with orchestras in both the Chicago and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. Recent performances include an appearance on the WFMT Dame Myra Hess recital series with pianist Rudolfo Leone. Benjamin is an active chamber music collaborator. He is a member of the SAKURA Cello Quintet and has participated in summer festivals including Ravinia's Steans Music Institute, Sarasota Music Festival, Taos, Aspen, Holland International Music Sessions, Fortissimo Fest in Bulgaria, and Franco-American Chamber Music Festival in Missillac, France. An experienced orchestral musician, he is Assistant Principal of the Pacific Symphony and a frequent substitute for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
Growing up in Evanston, Illinois, Benjamin began studying cello at the age of six with Dean Bachus and Tanya Carey. In his early teens, as a first place winner of multiple Chicago area competitions, he performed concertos by Saint-Saens, Shostakovich, Hindemith, and Haydn. Benjamin received his Bachelors of Music from the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Ronald Leonard. He completed Master of Music and Doctorate degrees at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he studied with Ralph Kirshbaum.