BIOGRAPHY
Ben Shafer is a prominent French horn player in Northern Colorado/Wyoming. He holds the position of Principal Horn with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, and Fort Collins Symphony.
Originally from North Carolina, Ben began his musical studies in 6th grade on the flute. Thankfully, Mr. Jenner, his 6th grade band director, decided to switch him to the horn. He was extremely fortunate to be able to attend Panther Creek High School which had one of the top band programs in the state. While there, his love of music began to take off. As a senior, he was section leader in marching band and principal horn in the top wind ensemble. Throughout high school, he was active in the Triangle Youth Brass Band, and performed with the Unquintentional Wind Quintet.
Mr. Shafer completed his undergraduate studies in music at the University of North Carolina Charlotte with Christopher Griffin. In addition to being able to play principal horn in the top orchestra and Wind Ensemble for three years, he also was given many opportunities outside of playing that enabled him to grow as a musician. As a senior, he was a Teaching Assistant for Music Theory and Aural Skills and a Liberal Studies music class in which he got to design and give Lectures to a 150 seat class. He also worked as the Band Librarian, as the Education Intern for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and was the high brass instructor at the Charlotte Music School. In 2017 he was selected as a winner of the Innagural UNCC Concerto competition and in 2018 was presented with the Royce Lumpkin award.
In 2020, Ben completed a Master’s Degree in horn Performance at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying with Mike Thornton and Kolio PLachkov. In his time there, he played Principal horn on many concerts in both the top Wind Symphony and Orchestra. Within 6 months of moving to Colorado, he had advanced to the finals of three orchestral auditions and was appointed to the position of Principal Horn of the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Shafer was a finalist in the 2019 Honors Concerto Competition and performed principal horn in Schumann's Konzertstuck as a finalist in the 2020 competition. He has played principal horn in and participated in many summer festivals including the Philadelphia International Music Festival, the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, and most recently the Aspen Music Festival.
Mr. Shafer maintains an active playing and teaching schedule and regularly is a substitute horn in many regional orchestras. His primary teachers include Christopher Griffin, Michael Thornton, and Kolio Plachkov. Mr. Shafer aspires to make a difference in music by inspiring others through his playing and teaching. Outside of Music, Ben loves to Cook, Practice Yoga, and hike!
