Ben Neill

Composer/performer Ben Neill is the inventor of the Mutantrumpet, a hybrid electro-acoustic instrument, and is recognized as a musical innovator who “uses a schizophrenic trumpet to create art music for the people” (Wired Magazine). Neill generates immersive musical experiences that merge ambient music, electronic grooves, and interactive video, all controlled live by his instrument.

Thirteen albums of Neill’s music have been released on labels including Universal/Verve, Thirsty Ear, Astralwerks, and his own Blue Math label distributed by AWAL/Sony. His most recent recording, Prana Cantos, was released on Six Degrees Records in 2023 as part of their Soundbalm series of music and meditation albums. Based in New York since the early 1980’s, his performances include BAM Next Wave Festival, Big Ears Festival, Lincoln Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, The Broad Museum, Bing Concert Hall at Stanford, Getty Museum, Cite de la Musique, Moogfest, Spoleto Festival, Umbria Jazz, Bang On A Can Festival, ICA London, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Vienna Jazz Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival, among many others.

Neill’s first book, Diffusing Music: Trajectories of Sonic Democratization, was published by Bloomsbury Press in December 2024. The book explores how technology is reshaping music, enabling unprecedented levels of creativity and transforming how we share and experience sound. From digital tools that let anyone become a music maker to AI systems that write, mix, and master songs, Neill breaks down how these advancements empower creators and reshape the relationship between artists and audiences. Part history, part personal story, and part look at what’s next; Diffusing Music is a must-read for anyone curious about the future of music.

Neill is a longtime close associate of minimalist pioneer La Monte Young, and leads international performances of Young’s music. The list of creative innovators with whom Neill has worked includes David Wojnarowicz, John Cage, David Berhman, Nicolas Collins, John Cale, Petr Kotik, Pauline Oliveros, Rhys Chatham, DJ Spooky, Mimi Goese, and King Britt. In addition to his many collaborations, Neill was the Music Curator at The Kitchen from 1992-98, and also curated music at the World Financial Center Winter Garden where he organized large scale concerts for the River to River Festival and WNYC New Sounds Live.

Neill began developing the Mutantrumpet in the early 1980s. Initially an acoustic instrument combining 3 trumpets and a trombone into one, he collaborated with synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog to integrate electronics. In 1992, while in residency at the STEIM research and development lab for new instruments in Amsterdam, Neill made the Mutantrumpet fully computer interactive. In 2008 he created a new version of his instrument at STEIM, and in 2019 Version 4 debuted in the premiere of Fantini Futuro, which was presented by the Interpretations Series.

Recent projects include Trove, a 104 track ambient collection that was created during the Covid pandemic. A live version of Trove utilizing a wireless outdoor sound system that projects sound up to two miles was premiered in 2022 at Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center in Garrison, NY, and repeated in 2023. Neill’s electronic chamber opera Fantini Futuro (2019), based on the life and music of early Baroque composer/performer Girolamo Fantini blends early music, minimalism, and immersive visual media using an array of interactive technologies.

A native of North Carolina, Neill holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from Manhattan School of Music. Since 2008 he has been a music professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he recently founded an MFA program in Creative Music Technology. His first book, Diffusing Music, was released by Bloomsbury Press in December 2024.