Benjamin Whitcomb
Professor

Cello Ensemble Director

Education

Doctor of Philosophy degree in Music Theory and a Master of Music degree in Cello Performance from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from Oklahoma State University.

Biography

Benjamin Whitcomb, cellist and music theorist, has earned a national reputation as a performer and teacher of music. An active recitalist and chamber musician, he performs more than thirty concerts a year. He appears regularly on the "Sunday Afternoon Live from the Chazen" concert series broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Radio. He collaborates with pianist Vincent de Vries in frequent recitals around the country and overseas, and he is a member of the Ancora String Quartet and the UW-Whitewater Piano Trio. He performs concertos with local orchestras, and he has also been a member of several orchestras in Texas and Wisconsin, including serving as Associate Principal Cello of the Madison Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. He has produced several CDs of his recordings, including his release of solo cello works by Bach and Gabrielli on the MSR Classics label.

Dr. Whitcomb is a frequent guest clinician and performer at high schools and summer camps, including the National String Workshop, and universities throughout the country. His book, The Advancing Cellist’s Handbook, has received rave reviews from the journals of ASTA and AUSTA. He is a contributing author to Sharpen Your String Technique and Teaching Music through Performance in Orchestra. He has published several articles on cello and on music theory, and has presented papers numerous national and international conferences as well. He is also a reviewer for the American String Teacher journal. He is past president of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American String Teachers’ Association, and currently serves as Secretary for the organization as a whole. Dr. Whitcomb served as chair of the instrumental faculty at the La Musica Lirica music festival in Nova Feltria, Italy, from 2004 to 2006.

Dr. Whitcomb is Associate Professor of Cello and Music Theory at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater, where he has received recognition for his teaching, research, and service. Also at UW-Whitewater, he initiated and continues to coordinate the Theory/History Colloquium speaker series, the Musical Mosaics Faculty Concert Series, the Chancellor’s Quartet program, and the Summer String Camp. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Oklahoma State University, and he has studied with Phyllis Young, George Neikrug, and Evan Tonsing.

Personal website

Classes Taught

Studio Cello, Aural Skills I & II, Counterpoint, Form & Analysis