Upcoming events

2-24-12

Piazzolla (and Mahler) at the UCLA school of music at 8pm. With a briefly reconstituted Westside Collective.

3-17-12

At long last the LA Percussion Quartet is scheduled to premier Year of Solitary Thinking- in metal. At Chapman University in Orange County, CA. 7:30 pm.

6-7-12

I will be performing in the West Coast premier of John Luther Adams's Inuksuit at the 2012 Ojai Music Festival.

Fall 2012

The latest Hyper-theatrical creation from the Rogue Artists Ensemble, Pinocchio will feature a new original score and songs by Ben Phelps. Premiering in Los Angeles, Spring or Summer 2012.

News

1-22-12

91.5 KUSC in Los Angeles will be broadcasting Overture Maximus again this Sunday night! Don't miss out! Circa 8 pm.

12-14-11

What's Next? second fall concert at Royal-T in Culver City. Featuring the world premier of Six Ways to Be Alone.

12-13-11

Here's an interview of yours truly concerning Six Ways to Be Alone and What's Next?

11-23-11

Works by Sean Friar, Louis Andriessen, Wojteck Blecharz, and Donald Crockett, performed by What's Next? at Royal-T in Culver City. I'll be playing percussion.

10-22-11

I'm excited to announce a commission for a new piece from the Blackbird Music Project to be premiered in 2012.

7-1-11 to 8-7-11

After it's Orange County engagement at South Coast Repertory, D is for Dog continues at the Studio/Stage in Los Angeles. For tickets and more info visit www.rogueartists.org.

7-30-11

A couple reviews that actually acknowledge the presence of music in the show, D is for Dog. One from The Edge, and one from good old LAWeekly.

6-17-11 to 6-19-11

My first collaboration with the Rogue Artist Ensemble improbably returns. To South Coast Repertory, in Orange County, no less! Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm.

6-15-11

What's Next? presents the 3rd annual LA Composer's Project, now at the Royal/T in Culver City. Free. I'll be performing the music of Don Davis. Other composers on the line up include William Kraft, Lalo Schifrin, Morten Lauredisin, and David Werfelmann. Everyone's going to be there.

6-10-11

KUSC did a brief on-air feature on the upcoming Los Angeles Composer's Project.

5-1-11

I'll be performing Luciano Berio's Chemins II and premiering Liviu Marinescu's Harmonic Fields with the Nimbus Ensemble at the Westwood United Methodist Church. 4pm. Map

4-15-11

My new CD, Music for the Rogues is now available on CDBaby and Bandcamp. Coming any day to digital stores everywhere. Featuring music from several of my multiple collaborations with Rogue Artist Ensemble and made possible in part with a grant from the American Composer's Forum.

4-3-11

What's Next? presents an evening of challenging music for viola at the South Pasadena Public Library. I'm not playing, but I am helping to administrate. Jack Stulz will be playing the viola.

2-25-11

Flutist Michael Matsuno will perform part of my Sonata for Flute and Piano...a romance on his concert of new music for Flute. At the United University Church on the University of SOuthern California Campus, 5:30 pm

2-7-11

Alan Chapman once again played my piece Overture Maximus on KUSC this evening. So that's kinda cool.

1-5-11

I added some of my better playing and recordings to a new webpage, found in the media section. Check it out!

11-6-10 to 12-12-10

I've written some 80's synth-pop on steroids for Rogue Artists Ensemble's latest show, HYPERBOLE: origins. The show opens at [Inside] the Ford in Los Angeles with a special gala performance November 6th.

10-29-10

I will be in Minneapolis in October with Overture Maximus and the Minnesota Orchestra. The concert is October 29th. I'll be there for various festivities as well as pre- and post- concert discussions. There's a lot of discussion.

10-29-10

The Minnesota Orchestra's performance of Overture Maximus will be broadcast live on Minnesota Public Radio, as well as my interview with American Public Media's Performance Today host Fred Childs. Listen at www.mpr.org.

10-24-10

For the week of October 24th, I will be the featured composer on the No Extra Notes podcast and blog. Hear my goofy interview and some goofy music.

9-22-10

I've uploaded a new video of me playing Andrew Thomas's Merlin to YouTube. Check it out!

9-15-10

My new moderately-monumental song cycle, Six Ways to Be Alone is completed. The piece, for sextet plus solo voice can be thought of as a mini meta-opera, or as a mon-opera. I'm currently organizing a performance for the spring- stay tuned.

8-1-10

I'm pleased to announce the completion of my new percussion quartet, Year of Solitary Thinking- in Metal. The piece was commissioned by the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, and will be premiered in the Fall. More info coming soon.

6-20-10

The Rogue Artist Ensemble's new show, HYPBOLE: origins will be previewed as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival at the Art|Works theater. Shows at 4 pm and 8 pm.

6-17-10

Because every self-respecting composer is supposed to have one, I broke down and added a blog to my website. Now you can read my snarky comments about music nobody cares about- and some music that people do.

6-1-10

I'm very pleased to announce that I've been commissioned to write a new piece for the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, to be premiered in the fall 2010.

5-26-10 to 5-28-10

Three brand new concerts. All LA based composers, all the time. Held at USC. The most comprehensive retrospective of new music taking place in Los Angeles today. Submit your music at www.lacomposersproject.com.

4-10-10

I'm very pleased to announce that I've been award a grant from the American Composers Forum to help produce a CD of my music written for Rogue Artists Ensemble. Hooray!

4-9-10

The What's Next Ensemble will be presenting an ecclectic musical happening at the Fake Gallery in Hollywood. The concert will feature the long awaited Los Angeles premier of my bass clarinet duo, Musical Offering (for bass clarinets), featuring a "gradually diminishing" canon at the minor second. The program will also feature my raging liberalism in a people's performance of Louis Andriessen's Worker's Union as well as Osvaldo Golijov's Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind. Holy crap what a good program.
8 pm. Map Purchase Tickets

3-15-10

www.whatistheorigin.com is now online. Come and explore the newest creation of the Rogue Artist Ensemble, featuring the music of Ben Phelps (and others!) You can even share your own contributions / ideas / creations. It's a one of a kind Hyper-theatrical event.

3-4-10

I will be premiering Sarah Gibson's new piece, Sea Monkey, written for me and cellist Peter Myers. Alfred Newman Recital Hall, USC campus.
7:30 pm. Map

3-1-10

The LA Composers Project is now accepting scores for the 2010 festival. Postmark deadline March 1st! Submit your music at www.lacomposersproject.com.

2-23-10

Because who doesn't want to hear some unrepetent British modernism, I will be playing Harrison Birtwistle's Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum with the USC Contemporary Music Ensemble. Bleep-blop at its finest. Then stay for Eric Guinivan's Mie. If you hear virtuosic xylophone, that's me. Alfred Newman Recital Hall, USC campus.
7:30 pm. Map

2-10-10

Rogue Artist Ensemble's 2009 production, GOGOL PROJECT, based on the works of Nikolai Gogol- which I worked intensively to develop- has been nominated for six awards each by both the LA Drama Critic's Cricle and the LA Weekly Theater Awards. Congratulations, all nominees (and winners!). Sadly, neither organization offers an award for dramaturge. To see the nominations, please visit www.rogueartists.org. I would point out that both groups nominated the script, which I do take a certain personal pride in.

9-25-09 to 11-8-09

GOGOL PROJECT has been extended one more weekend to November 8th! Written by Kitty Felde (of KPCC fame). Based on three short stories of Nikolai Gogol. I'm acting as dramaturg. Performances are at the Bootleg Theater. 8pm. Map

9-12-09

I will be performing Sean Naidoo's Bad Times Coming with the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet and pianist and Los Angeles new-music mainstay Vicky Ray at Chapman University. 8 pm.

8-11-09

I have added sound files and information about several of my more recent pieces, Night and Fugue for Marimba (alone), Passacaglia per augmentationem, and Musical Offering (for bass clarinets).

8-9-09

I'm told that apparently Overture Maximus was once again played on KUSC tonight, this time paired with John Corigliano's Circus Maximus- my piece's arch nemesis. His piece may be more maximal, but mine definitely has more circus AND more overture. There was no clear winner.

8-1-09

There are some pretty awesome new webpage improvements. All media now streams on a pretty awesome flash player. Check it out.

6-11-09 to 6-19-09

Tango (for four musicians) will open the first ever LA Composers Project Thursday, June 11th at 8 pm in USC's Newman Concert Hall. I am helping to organize the event, which will produce 3 concerts over the course of a week, featuring 18 local composers from at least 3 generations, young upstarts and established giants, as well as countless dedicated and (dare I say) beautiful performers. Sure to be one of the most exciting presentations of music by Los Angeles based composers EVER. Be there. More info

5-13-09

Check out my performance of chorale / lament / rhapsody on YouTube. Sure to go viral any second now!

5-2-09

I will be competiting as a semi-finalist in the first annual Southern California Marimba Competition at Chapman University against some of the best young marimbists in the world. Of course I'll be playing my own piece Night and Fugue for Marimba (alone) should I advance to the finals.

4-28-09 and 4-29-09

The Rogue Artists are pleased to present a workshop performance of the Gogol Project, based on three short stories of Nikolai Gogol and written by KPCC's Kitty Felde. I'm acting as dramaturg. At the Bootleg Theater. 8pm. Map

4-17-09

I'm excited to announce that I've been named a winner in the USC Concerto competition, performing my own marimba concerto.

4-1-09

I'm very excited to announce that I will be developing Pinocchio for Rogue Artist's Ensemble. Based on Carlo Collodi's original, this is definitely not your mother's (or Disney's) wooden child. Coming 2010.

2-6-09

For those of you in Northern California unable to make it to the main event, even though it will be amazing, the infamous bass clarinet duo Sqwonk will be performing my A musical offering (for bass clarinets) at the Old First Church in San Francisco. They will be appearing with the Real Vocal String Quartet at 8 pm. Map

2-6-09

Ben Phelps: The Recital
The big event. Four works, one night only. Alfred Newman Recital Hall, USC campus.
8 pm. Map

chorale / lament / rhapsody
Night and Fugue for Marimba (alone)
Tango (for four musicians)
Sonata for Flute and Piano......a romance

Assisted by these fine musicians:

Timothy Hagen, flute
Nicholas Casillas, saxophones
Sonia Sielaff, clarinet
Nicolas Gerpe, piano
Alan Chan , piano
Josh Salzbury, trombone

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