Ben Plotnick

Ben Plotnick was born 28 years ago into a musical life in Calgary, AB. His parents are both professional musicians and teachers, and as such, Ben’s lessons began at the age of 5. Since he began playing classical violin 22 years ago, he has expanded his musical palette to include many other musical styles, such as Country, Celtic, Jazz, Rock, and many areas of world music as well. Ben has had an incredibly involved musical adolescence. With organizations such as the Calgary Youth Orchestra and the Calgary Fiddlers, Ben has played for notable audiences from an early age. He led the Calgary Youth Orchestra’s viola section in a sold out performance for Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth the 2nd of England, at the Penngrowth Saddledome in Calgary. He toured across 4 continents to places such as New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and all across North America. He founded a rock string quartet that was chosen by mayor Dave Bronconnier to represent Calgary at a festival in Toronto. He released his debut album in 2006, entitled “The Quiet Streets”, and his second album in 2007, entitled “Music is not a Museum”. At the age of 19, Ben served as Assistant Director to the Calgary Fiddlers Association. After studying jazz at Humber College in Toronto, Ben returned to Alberta. November 2010 marked the release of his most recent solo studio work: A complex, yet accessible contemporary bluegrass project, titled “Dancing at the End of the World”. The album features world-class musicianship, and has been met with critical acclaim. String orchestras, folk bands and jazz combos alike are playing Ben’s compositions and arrangements. He has been commissioned to compose and arrange countless pieces for string quartet, while his newest songwriting project, “Rye & Fairy Tales”, recently received a $10,000 recording grant for their compositions. He has produced and/or co-written a number of albums as well. Ben can be found playing with, recording, composing or producing with various acts across Canada. He has appeared alongside countless Country, Bluegrass, Swing, Folk and Celtic musicians on stage, and has recorded on dozens of professional albums. Ben now calls Toronto home. In addition to performing with regular projects "Rye & Fairy Tales" and "The Double Cuts", he continues to be one of the country's most sought-after freelance fiddle players.