Violinist Benjamin Shute first encountered “the Csehy experience” fourteen years ago as a student and counts his summers at Csehy among the high points of his formative years. Born into a musical family in Wilmington, Delaware, his childhood was marked by a fascination with music that (suffice it to say) somewhat outweighed his interest in practicing, and he must credit his continued pursuit of the violin to the patience and persistence of his first teacher, Kathleen Hastings. During his subsequent years of intensive study with Lee Snyder in Philadelphia, the Lord graciously opened many doors that allowed him to perform frequently as concerto soloist and recitalist and enabled him to realize the joy he finds in seeking to bring the joy of music to others. The years that followed brought both successes and failures as well as many valuable experiences, including opportunities to perform as soloist, concertmaster, and chamber musician in the USA, Canada, and Europe, to receive instruction from many experienced artists (e.g. members of the Hagen, Cleveland, Muir, Artemis, Borromeo, Keller, Rubin, and Axelrod quartets), to collaborate in concert with many wonderful colleagues, including principal players of such diverse orchestras as Berliner Philharmoniker, the Boston Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, SWR Sinfonieorchester, Freiburger Barockorchester, Orchestre de Chambre de Grenoble, Musica Antiqua Köln etc., and to serve as Professor of Violin at the International Chamber Music Courses and Festival in Positano, Italy. Having finished his undergraduate studies at the New England Conservatory under Masuko Ushioda, he moved to Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), where the Rhine Valley meets the mountainous Black Forest, to study with Rainer Kussmaul, former first concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker. During his two years there, he was deeply blessed through his association with the missionary community of the Black Forest Academy and was privileged to give a masterclass for their 2009 Strings Festival.
He has recently returned to Boston to pursue doctoral study with Lucy Chapman at the New England Conservatory, where he is founding director of the NEC Early Music Society’s period instrument orchestra and occasionally teaches classes in such subjects as 16th-century counterpoint, solfège, and various topics in music history, in addition to his various performing and coaching engagements in the greater Boston area. He also serves as classical music coordinator for Citylife Church Boston and facilitator of the NEC Bible study.