Benjamin Wegner received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa where he was a section leader of the Nordic Choir. Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, he returned there after his undergraduate studied and led many different musical ensembles. At the church level, he was the Director of Music at Jehovah Lutheran Church for two years where he started Baroque Summer Worship, a community event featuring a work from the Baroque era within the context of worship. Also as music director, he led singers and instrumentalists of Lakeshore Community Players Theater in performances of FORUM (2016), YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (2015), and THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (2014) as well as leading as music director for their youth theater camp, Young Stars of the Stage.
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As a performer, Ben remained active in the Twin Cities leading up to his directorship in Iowa. He gave many memorable performances with Dr. Matthew Culloton and The Singers-Minnesota Choral Artists. With this ensemble, he was featured as a soloist for Handel's Dixit Dominus and Herbert Howell's Requiem. He also is currently an occasional performer with the Bach Society of Minnesota and Consortium Carissimi. As a recitalist, he performed Britten's The Holy Sonnets of John Donne and Mahler's Kindertotenlieder as part of the 2017 recital series of St. James Episcopal Church in Grosse Ile, Michigan.
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Ben has found success as a composer. The Singers-Minnesota Choral Artists commissioned him for their concert in October 2016 and his original compositions and arrangements have been performed by professional, high school, middle school, community, and church ensembles. His most successful composition, "He Leadeth Me," was featured in 2017 at the National American Choral Director's Association in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the National Conference for Sacred Music in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the American Guild of Organists chapter of Dallas, Texas. Since 2014, Ben has been the band director and arranger of music for the University of Minnesota's 4-H Arts In program of Washington County.
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Benjamin Wegner