Press kit, Ben Roidl-Ward · Press kit, official use
Named one of 23 artists who are “changing the sound of classical music” by the Washington Post, Ben Roidl-Ward has been praised for his “dazzling technique” (The Sydney Morning Herald), “breathless virtuosity” (Bandcamp Daily), and “astounding flexibility and range” (The Double Reed). He is the Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and also holds positions as Principal Bassoonist of the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Illinois Symphony, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, as well as Co-Principal Bassoonist of Sinfonia Da Camera. A devoted performer of contemporary music, Ben is the bassoonist of Chicago’s Ensemble Dal Niente and served as a Contemporary Leader for the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland from 2021-2025, where he also taught as a Bassoon Coach for the Lucerne Festival Academy. Ben’s dedication to working with and advocating for composers of his generation has led him to commission numerous works featuring the bassoon, and he has participated in the premieres of over 200 compositions to date. Ben has performed with leading ensembles around the world, including the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the ELISION Ensemble, the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, the International Contemporary Ensemble, the Grossman Ensemble, and the St. Louis, Oregon, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Hawai’i, and Richmond Symphonies. In 2021, he performed as Guest Principal Bassoonist of the Arctic Philharmonic in Bodø, Norway. Ben has also collaborated with the NOVO and Spektral String Quartets. As a soloist, he has played concertos by composers from Antonio Vivaldi to Sofia Gubaidulina with ensembles such as the Seattle Symphony, the Illinois Wind Symphony, the Oberlin Contemporary Ensemble, the Chicago Master Singers, and the Northwestern University Contemporary Ensemble.
