Ben Bussey (he/him) is a musician and teaching artist based in Minneapolis, MN. His training and experience on trombone, euphonium, and tuba cover a wealth of genres and reflect a keen interest in platforming new music and emerging artists. He is a founding member of The Paper Clips Trombone Quartet and his creative projects include Heavy Metal Brass Band and Star of the North Jazz Orchestra. He is on the faculty at University of Wisconsin - River Falls and serves at the MacPhail Center for Music as a low brass instructor, ensemble clinician, and arts administrator.

 

Ben has performed with some of the music industry’s best artists across a variety of styles - The New Standards, The Shabby Road Orchestra, Davina and the Vagabonds, Chuck Lazarus, Michael Davis, Catherine Russell, Ingrid Jensen, Mayito Rivera, Oystein Baadsvik, Mike Mills, Dave Pirner, Jeremy Messersmith, Aby Wolf, Cameron Kinghorn, Jaedyn James, Scott Bergman, The Belfast Cowboys, Adam Meckler Orchestra, the Twin Cities Jazz Composers Workshop, IMPROVESTRA, Dream on Nilsson, the Lake Woebegon Brass Band, Artistry MN, and the Jungle Theater.

 

Ben is an active guest artist, clinician, and adjudicator for music programs throughout the Upper Midwest. He has served on the boards of the Minnesota Music Educators Association and the Minnesota Band Directors Association. His wide range of professional experiences guide him in developing, promoting, and supporting equitable and comprehensive music learning for students of all ages and abilities.

 

A Minneapolis native, Ben holds degrees from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (BM Music Ed, 2008) and McNally Smith College of Music (MM Trombone, 2015, R.I.P.). His teachers in performing, arranging, conducting, and improvisation include Scott Agster, Pete Whitman, Adi Yeshaya, John Tranter, Dave Werden, and Jerry Luckhardt. He is a coffee enthusiast and avid baseball fan.