Guitar

Benjamin Beirs began playing the guitar at age 6 and began his studies with esteemed pedagogue and performer Julian Gray in 2001. Under Gray's skilled tutelage he holds a bachelor of music degree in guitar performance and a master of music in guitar performance/pedagogy from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Ben is currently continuing his studies with Mr. Gray at Peabody in a graduate performance diploma program.
 
Recent competition prizes include first prize in the 2007 National Guitar Workshop International Solo competition, first prize in the guitar division of the 2007 Baltimore Music Club Competition and second prize in Peabody's most prestigious instrumental competition, the Yale Gordon Concerto Competition. Ben is also the recipient of numerous prizes and scholarships including the Charlie Byrd Memorial Guitar Scholarship, the Harold Randolph Prize for performance, and the Theodore Presser Scholarship. He has participated in master classes with artists such as Sergio Assad, Denis Azabagic, Manuel Barrueco, Ricardo Cobo, Eliot Fisk, Nicholas Goluses, Nathaniel Gunod, Adam Holzman, Dimitri Illarionov, William Kanengeiser, Martha Masters, Jeffrey McFadden, Matteo Mela, Lorenzo Micheli, Ronald Pearl, Pepe Romero, David Russell, David Starobin, Benjamin Verdery, Jason Vieaux, and Andrew Zohn. In addition to a busy performance schedule, Ben is a dedicated guitar instructor at Music and Arts in Germantown, MD and at the Peabody Preparatory. See http://www.benjaminbeirs.com for more information.

Ben is also very involved in chamber music with his guitar duo, Duo Transatlantique. In the summer of 2005 in Paris, the duo won first prize in the Union Française des Artistes Musiciens Guitar Duo Competition and also performed a recital in the American Cathedral in Paris. The duo has twice been asked to perform at Peabody's Thursday Noon Recital Series, was one of a handful of performers selected in the 2006 Dean's Conservatory Honors Recital, and also was selected to represent the conservatory at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in a series entitled the Conservatory Project in May of 2006. The duo concertizes frequently in the U.S. and Europe and has recently recorded a demo CD of some of their concert repertoire, which is available for purchase. Please see http://www.duotransatlantique.com for more information.

Last but not least, Ben is also interested in outreach. Through the Creative Access, a musical outreach group at Peabody, Ben has found a way to combine his love of service with his music. Currently he serves as a site-coordinator for the Creative Access, where he and other volunteers perform on a regular basis for the Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. Please see http://www.thecreativeaccess.com for more information.

Mr. Beirs teaches at the Howard County campus.