Ben Robertson – double bass

guest artist
Jane Robertson – clarinet

Jazz double-bassist Ben Robertson graduated with distinction from the Improvisation stream of the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia 1987 where he was awarded both the Gwen Nesbitt scholarship and the Mensa award for musical excellence. There he developed a reputation for musical excellence and melodic inventiveness leading to many and varied professional performance opportunities. He is a harmonic and listening musician; a great asset to any ensemble both as an improvising soloist and arranger. Ben is highly regarded as an educator of the contemporary jazz language and the improvising tradition, holding positions at the Victorian College of the Arts, Monash University and the Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School.

In 2008 Ben received skills and arts development funding for study in Chennai India with renowned Carnatic Violinist V.S. Narasimhan. He has recent interest in repertoire for solo double bass saw his composition Long Stream selected as a finalist for the international Double Bassist magazine competition ‘One minute Wonders’ (where it received its International Premiere in Wells, Scotland, October 2007) while his composition Open Land for Double Bass and Piano, received the ‘Highly Commended’ award in the International BIBF competition UK, 2009.

In 2010 Ben will guest with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, performing Don Banks ‘Nexus’.

Following his study in Chennai, South India, Ben will present music inspired by melodic ornamentation of the Carnatic tradition, along side more recent compositions inspired by western improvised vocabulary. The program also includes Edgar Meyer’s ‘Canon’, in duet with clarinettist (and sister) Jane Robertson.

www.benrobertson.com.au