# Benjamin Verdery

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{{Short description|American musician and composer}}
{{Infobox artist
| name        = Benjamin Verdery
| image       = Benjamin Verdery 2005 (cropped).jpg
| alt         = 
| caption     = Verdery in 2005
| birth_name  =
| birth_date  = 1955
| birth_place = [Danbury, Connecticut](/source/Danbury%2C_Connecticut), United States
| death_date  =
| death_place =
| known_for   = Guitar, composing, teaching
| education   = [SUNY Purchase](/source/State_University_of_New_York_at_Purchase)
| movement    =
| style       = Classical, contemporary
| spouse      = Rie Schmidt
| website     = [https://benjamin-verdery.squarespace.com/ Benjamin Verdery]
| patrons     =
| awards      = 
}}

'''Benjamin Verdery''' (born 1955) is an American classical guitarist, composer and teacher.<ref name="Summerfield91">Summerfield, Maurice J. [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24263479  ''The Classical Guitar: Its Evolution and Its Players Since 1800''], Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK: Ashley Mark Publishing, 1991. Retrieved November 1, 2021.</ref><ref name="Crowe05b">Crowe, Julia. "Dynamic Duo," ''Guitar Player'', May 2005, p. 66–70.</ref><ref name="Small20">Small, Mark. [https://acousticguitar.com/guitarist-composer-teacher-benjamin-verdery-has-taken-the-eclectic-road/ "Guitarist/Composer/Teacher Benjamin Verdery Has Taken the Eclectic Road,"] ''Acoustic Guitar'', July/August 2020, p. 34–6. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref> Verdery has performed at venues including [Carnegie Hall](/source/Carnegie_Hall), [Concertgebouw](/source/Concertgebouw%2C_Amsterdam) (Amsterdam), [Lincoln Center](/source/Lincoln_Center), the [Metropolitan Opera](/source/Metropolitan_Opera), and [Wigmore Hall](/source/Wigmore_Hall) (London).<ref name="Saulter02">Saulter, Jerry. "No Boundaries: Benjamin Verdery," ''20th Century Guitar'', September 2002, p. 31–3.</ref><ref name="Kilvington85">Kilvington, Chris. "Benjamin Verdery," ''Classical Guitar'', June 1985.</ref><ref name="Crowe05">Crowe, Julia. "Ben Verdery and Andy Summers," ''Classical Guitar'', May 2005, p. 56–7.</ref> He has played and recorded with a wide range of classical and other musicians, including guitarists [William Coulter](/source/William_Coulter), [Leo Kottke](/source/Leo_Kottke), [Paco Peña](/source/Paco_Pe%C3%B1a), [Andy Summers](/source/Andy_Summers) and [John Williams](/source/John_Williams_(guitarist)), vocalist [Hermann Prey](/source/Hermann_Prey), composer [Anthony Newman](/source/Anthony_Newman_(musician)), and his wife, flutist Rie Schmidt.<ref name="Cmiel02">Cmiel, Scott. "No Boundaries," ''Acoustic Guitar'', May 2002.</ref><ref name="Crowe05b"/><ref name="Magnussen02">Magnussen, Paul. "Benjamin Verdery," ''Classical Guitar'', July 2002, p. 11–17.</ref><ref name="Ferguson84">Ferguson, Jim. "Benjamin Verdery," ''Guitar Player'', August 1984, p. 32–7.</ref><ref name="Tommasini96">Tommasini, Anthony. [https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/22/arts/music-review-the-schubertiade-ends-with-song-and-piano.html?searchResultPosition=4 "The Schubertiade Ends With Song and Piano,"] ''The New York Times'', February 22, 1996, p. C14. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Ericson80">Ericson, Raymond. [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/17/arts/reviews-music-flute-and-guitar-compositions-of-the-1980-s.html?searchResultPosition=3 "Debuts in Review,"] ''The New York Times'', December 14, 1980. Retrieved November 5, 2021.</ref> ''New York Times'' classical music critic [Allan Kozinn](/source/Allan_Kozinn) described Verdery as "one of the guitar’s grand individualists" and "an iconoclastic player," known as much for his devotion to new music and transcriptions of [Jimi Hendrix](/source/Jimi_Hendrix) songs as for inventive interpretations of [Bach](/source/Johann_Sebastian_Bach).<ref name="Kozinn10">Kozinn, Allan. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/arts/music/02guitar.html?searchResultPosition=23 "Bach’s Music as a Blank Canvas for Guitarists,"] ''The New York Times'', February 2, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Kozinn06">Kozinn, Allan. [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/arts/music/07guit.html?searchResultPosition=7 "The Rare and the Hendrix at Mannes College's New York Guitar Seminar,"] ''The New York Times'', July 7, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Kozinn09">Kozinn, Allan. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/arts/music/13kozi.html?searchResultPosition=9 "Bach, Celebrated With Strings,"] ''The New York Times'', September 8, 2009. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref> As of 2021, Verdery had released 19 albums and been featured on several others.<ref name="Kosman20">Kosman, Joshua. [https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/new-chamber-works-by-ymusic-lead-a-batch-of-recent-recordings "Ben Verdery, 'Scenes from Ellis Island,'"] ''San Francisco Chronicle'', February 26, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Magnussen02"/><ref name="Donahue18">Donahue, Thomas (ed.). [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1083266547 ''Benjamin Verdery: A Montage of a Classical Guitarist''], Lanham, MD: Hamilton Books/ Rowman and Littlefield, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref> He has taught at the [Yale School of Music](/source/Yale_School_of_Music) since 1985.<ref name="Yale">Yale School of Music. [https://music.yale.edu/people/benjamin-verdery Benjamin Verdery], People. Retrieved November 1, 2021.</ref><ref name="Donahue18"/>

==Early life and education==
Benjamin Verdery was born in 1955 in [Danbury, Connecticut](/source/Danbury%2C_Connecticut), to John Duane Verdery, an Episcopalian minister and headmaster of the [Wooster School](/source/Wooster_School), and Suzanne Aldrich Verdery.<ref name="Braider84">Braider, Jackson N. "Benjamin Verdery," ''Classical Guitar'', May/June 1984, p. 14–23.</ref><ref name="Magnussen02"/><ref name="NYT85">''The New York Times''. [https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/18/nyregion/rev-john-d-verdery.html "Rev. John D. Verdery,"] July 18, 1985, p. A20. Retrieved November 4, 2021.</ref> He became interested in music after hearing [The Beatles](/source/The_Beatles)' "[I Saw Her Standing There](/source/I_Saw_Her_Standing_There)" in 1963.<ref name="Braider84"/><ref name="Magnussen84">Magnussen, Paul. "Benjamin Verdery," ''Guitar International'', December 1984, p. 7–10.</ref><ref name="Magnussen02"/>

In his senior year at Wooster School, Verdery began formal lessons with classical guitarist Phillip De Fremery.<ref name="Braider84"/><ref name="Summerfield91"/><ref name="Chapin92">Chapin, Gary Parker. "Riding the Wind," ''Acoustic Guitar'', September/October 1992.</ref> After learning four pieces in order to audition for conservatory, he was accepted at [SUNY Purchase](/source/State_University_of_New_York_at_Purchase) in 1974, where he studied with composer-organist Anthony Newman and guitarist-composer [Frederic Hand](/source/Frederic_Hand), and earned the school's first BFA in guitar in 1978.<ref name="Ferguson84"/><ref name="Summerfield91"/><ref name="Magnussen84"/> During that time, he also took master classes with the classical guitarist-composers [Leo Brouwer](/source/Leo_Brouwer) and [Alirio Díaz](/source/Alirio_D%C3%ADaz); since then he has studied with pianist-composer [Seymour Bernstein](/source/Seymour_Bernstein).<ref name="Braider84"/><ref name="Ferguson84"/><ref name="Summerfield91"/> While at SUNY, Verdery met flutist Rie Schmidt (who later co-founded [Flute Force](/source/Flute_Force)); together they formed the Schmidt/Verdery Duo and married in 1979. Since debuting in New York City at [Merkin Hall](/source/Merkin_Hall) in 1980, they have released two albums and continue to perform.<ref name="Ericson80"/><ref name="Kerstens87">Kerstens, Tom. "Benjamin Verdery, Rie Schmidt," ''Classical Guitar'', April 1987.</ref><ref name="Holland89">Holland, Bernard. [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/17/arts/reviews-music-flute-and-guitar-compositions-of-the-1980-s.html?searchResultPosition=3 "Flute and Guitar Compositions of the 1980s,"] ''The New York Times'', April 17, 1989. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Summerfield91"/>

==Music==
Early in his career, Verdery was recognized in magazines such as ''Classical Guitar'', ''Guitar Player'' and ''Billboard'' among "a new breed of classical guitarists"<ref name="Small91">Small, Mark. "The Benjamin Verdery Experience," ''Guitar Extra!'', Fall 1991, p. 43–7.</ref> and "advocates of new guitar music"<ref name="BB91">''Billboard''. "Ride the Wind Horse: American Guitar Music," February 9, 1991.</ref> stretching the instrument through inventive transcriptions, new compositions, and diverse influences, performance contexts and programs.<ref name="Cooper85">Cooper, Colin. "Benjamin Verdery," ''Classical Guitar'', March 1985, p. 13–6.</ref><ref name="Braider84"/><ref name="Ferguson84"/> In Verdery's case, writers cited an open-mindedness and lack of affectation that allowed him to synthesize tonal nuances, techniques and expressive sensibilities from rock, blues, jazz and other influences, including [Aretha Franklin](/source/Aretha_Franklin), [Jimi Hendrix](/source/Jimi_Hendrix), [Dinu Lipatti](/source/Dinu_Lipatti), [Julian Bream](/source/Julian_Bream), [David Oistrakh](/source/David_Oistrakh), [Bill Connors](/source/Bill_Connors), John Williams, [John McLaughlin](/source/John_McLaughlin_(musician)), [Miles Davis](/source/Miles_Davis), and others.<ref name="Ferguson84"/><ref name="Braider84"/><ref name="Siegel84">Siegel, Micki K. "Guitarist Verdery: from rock to Bach," ''Us'', June 18, 1984, p. 13.</ref><ref name="Small91"/>

While the earliest part of Verdery's career centered on the classical repertoire, by the late-1980s he looked towards more contemporary material, mixing Anthony Newman, [Lou Harrison](/source/Lou_Harrison) and [Steve Reich](/source/Steve_Reich) compositions alongside Jimi Hendrix tunes in recitals, which stood him apart from most classical guitarists.<ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="Small91"/> In the 2000s, he continued to integrate old, new and more diverse works into his programs, blurring boundaries between genres.<ref name="Magnussen02"/><ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="Taylor05">Taylor, Lindis. "Master guitarist  blurs boundaries," ''The Dominion Post'' (Wellington), September 19, 2005.</ref><ref name="Mallett16">Mallett, Christopher. [https://classicalguitarmagazine.com/benjamin-verdery-playing-and-composing-outside-the-box/ "Benjamin Verdery: Playing and Composing Outside the Box,"] ''Classical Guitar'', Summer 2016, p. 36–9. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref> In 2020, ''Acoustic Guitar'''s Mark Small wrote, "Among the virtuosi of the Baby Boomer generation, it's not hard to make a case that Verdery has explored the most diverse terrain," noting a recorded repertoire that includes Bach, [Strauss](/source/Johann_Strauss_II) and [Mozart](/source/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart), adventurous contemporary classical composers (including himself), arrangements of [Prince](/source/Prince_(musician)), traditional folk tunes and hymns, Eastern influences and "all manner of guitars."<ref name="Small20"/>

===Performing===
Verdery has performed internationally, at venues including the [Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center](/source/Chamber_Music_Society_of_Lincoln_Center), Concertgebouw, the Metropolitan Opera, Wigmore Hall, and guitar festivals around the world.<ref name="Martin05">Martin, John. "Conversation with Benjamin Verdery," ''Guitart International'', July/September 2005, p. 26–33.</ref><ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="Taylor05"/><ref name="92Y">92Y. [https://www.92y.org/instructor/benjamin-verdery Benjamin Verdery], Instructors. Retrieved November 4, 2021.</ref><ref name="Yale"/> He has played with guitarists William Coulter, Frederic Hand, Leo Kottke, Paco Peña, [Nano Stern](/source/Nano_Stern) and John Williams, and vocalist [Jessye Norman](/source/Jessye_Norman), among others.<ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="Martin05"/><ref name="Donahue18"/> In 1996, Verdery accompanied the German baritone Hermann Prey in a performance of [Schubert](/source/Franz_Schubert)'s "Fruhlingsglaube" described in the ''New York Times'' as bringing "an affecting sweetness and intimacy to [the] gently lyrical music."<ref name="Tommasini96"/> In 2005, Verdery and Andy Summers debuted [Ingram Marshall](/source/Ingram_Marshall)'s "Dark Florescence Variations for Two Guitars and Orchestra" at Carnegie Hall with the [American Composers Orchestra](/source/American_Composers_Orchestra); ''Classical Guitar'' wrote that the performance's modern sensibility "exult[ed] in a dazzling interplay" between classical and electric guitars and orchestra.<ref name="Crowe05"/><ref name="Crowe05b"/>

Throughout his career, Verdery's recitals have been noted for lyricism, invention, complexity, dynamism and eclecticism.<ref name="Ardoin83">Ardoin, John. "Verdery shines in Majestic concert," ''The Dallas Morning News'', November 22, 1983.</ref><ref name="Barker84">Barker, Frank. "Guitar Trio," ''The Guardian'', August 24, 1984.</ref><ref name="Crain11">Crain, Mary Beth. [https://www.laweekly.com/finger-pickin-good/ "Finger Pickin' Good,"] ''LA Weekly'', February 17, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Kozinn06"/><ref name="Kozinn10"/><ref name="Chapin92"/> The ''New York Times'' review of his 1980 New York debut described his interpretations of Bach as "rhythmically secure and musically precise" with a riveting concentration augmented by "flamboyant gestures."<ref name="Ericson80"/> In 1991, ''Guitar Extra'' characterized his approach as a "dichotomous marriage of absolute virtuosic bravura and a commanding—and sometimes comedic—stage presence."<ref name="Small91"/> His later performances have been described as open, democratic and original, freely mixing styles and elements such as altered guitars and digital delay to create new sonic environments.<ref name="Cmiel12">Cmiel, Scott. "All Hail Benjamin Verdery: Festival of New American Music," ''San Francisco Classical Voice'', November 6, 2012.</ref><ref name="Cooper10">Cooper, Colin. "Ben Verdery," ''Classical Guitar'', November 2010.</ref><ref name="Woodhouse14">Woodhouse, Jon. "Benjamin Verdery: Guitarist and Composer," ''Maui Beat'', Thursday, July 17, 2014, p. 3–4.</ref>

===Composing===
Verdery has composed works for classical and non-classical guitar for solo and duo performance, guitar quartets, chamber groups and orchestras, for himself and others, including [Sérgio and Odair Assad](/source/S%C3%A9rgio_Assad), [David Russell](/source/David_Russell_(guitarist)), [David Tanenbaum](/source/David_Tanenbaum_(guitarist)), [Scott Tennant](/source/Scott_Tennant), and John Williams and [John Etheridge](/source/John_Etheridge).<ref name="Crowe06">Crowe, Julia. "Ben Verdery," ''Classical Guitar'', September 2006, p. 11–6.</ref><ref name="Mallett16"/><ref name="Small20"/> After beginning with classical arrangements in the 1980s, he started—without formal training—to compose works for himself, such as the three-movement solo "In Memory," the largely solo and duo pieces comprising his album ''Some Towns and Cities'' (1991), "Eleven Etudes," and the [Dalai Lama](/source/14th_Dalai_Lama)-dedicated "Be Kind All the Time."<ref name="Cooper94">Cooper, Colin. "Benjamin Verdery: Taking Music to the people," ''Classical Guitar'', May 1994, p. 11–6.</ref><ref name="Taylor05"/><ref name="Verdery17">Verdery, Benjamin. "What a Journey," [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1083266547 ''Benjamin Verdery: A Montage of a Classical Guitarist''], Lanham, MD: Hamilton Books/ Rowman and Littlefield, 2018, p. 68. Retrieved November 4, 2021.</ref>

Verdery's compositions for larger guitar ensembles include: "Scenes from Ellis Island" (1999), a version of which (titled "Ellis Island") was written for and recorded by the [Los Angeles Guitar Quartet](/source/Los_Angeles_Guitar_Quartet); "Pick and Roll" (for multiple guitars, saxophone, violin and basketball player), which premiered at Santa Cruz Contemporary Festival in 2000; and "Give" (for eight guitars), commissioned by Thomas Offermann and premiered in Rostock, Germany in 2009.<ref name="Woodhouse14"/><ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="Magnussen02"/><ref name="Donahue18"/> He has also written chamber music for his group Ufonia and for a work commissioned by the New Jersey Chamber Music Society, titled "Soul Force" (1996, for guitar, cello, flute and percussion).<ref name="Kandell96">Kandell, Leslie. [https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/07/nyregion/music-a-collaboration-in-keeping-king-s-dream-alive.html?searchResultPosition=11 "A Collaboration in Keeping King's Dream Alive,"] ''The New York Times'', January 7, 1996. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref> The piece's title lifts a frequently used [Martin Luther King](/source/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.) term, while the score is based on one of his speeches, with the cello loosely imitating the rhythms of his voice and the guitar imitating its pitch.<ref name="Kandell96"/> Verdery's compositions and arrangements are published by [Alfred Music](/source/Alfred_Music) and [Doberman-Yppan](/source/Doberman-Yppan) (Canada).<ref name="Yale"/>

Several composers have written for Verdery, including [Daniel Asia](/source/Daniel_Asia), Sérgio Assad, [Martin Bresnick](/source/Martin_Bresnick), [Elizabeth Brown](/source/Elizabeth_Brown_(musician)), Frederic Hand, [Aaron Kernis](/source/Aaron_Jay_Kernis), [Ezra Laderman](/source/Ezra_Laderman), [Hannah Lash](/source/Hannah_Lash), [David Leisner](/source/David_Leisner), [John Anthony Lennon](/source/John_Anthony_Lennon), Ingram Marshall, Anthony Newman, [Roberto Sierra](/source/Roberto_Sierra), [Jack Vees](/source/Jack_Vees), and his former student [Bryce Dessner](/source/Bryce_Dessner), of [The National](/source/The_National_(band)).<ref name="Assad18">Assad, Sérgio. "Charisma," [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1083266547 ''Benjamin Verdery: A Montage of a Classical Guitarist''], Lanham, MD: Hamilton Books/ Rowman and Littlefield, 2018, p. 1–4. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Lash18">Lash, Hannah. "For Ben," [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1083266547 ''Benjamin Verdery: A Montage of a Classical Guitarist''], Lanham, MD: Hamilton Books/ Rowman and Littlefield, 2018, p. 30–2. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Braider84"/><ref name="Summerfield91"/><ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="Bambarger08">Bambarger, Bradley. "Versatile Virtuoso: Guitarist grooves to the music of Bach and Hendrix," ''Star-Ledger'', December 2008.</ref><ref name="Robb19">Robb, Peter. "Chamberfest: Stringing along with Benjamin Verdery, the mayor of Guitartown," ''Artsfile'', July 22, 2019.</ref><ref name="Donahue18"/>

===Recordings and videos===
As a recording artist, Verdery has released albums of original and arranged material, of his own, in collaborative duos with guitarists and other instrumentalists, and as a member of Latitude and the ensemble Ufonia. Verdery's early recordings focused on classical works; his first was "Variations and Grand Contrapunctus" (1978), a sweeping piece written for him by Anthony Newman.<ref name="Ferguson84"/><ref name="Small91"/><ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="Newman18">Newman, Anthony. "Ben and Tony," [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1083266547 ''Benjamin Verdery: A Montage of a Classical Guitarist''], Lanham, MD: Hamilton Books/ Rowman and Littlefield, 2018, p. 46–7. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref> His first two albums, ''Bach: Transcriptions for Guitar'' (1983) and ''Two Generations of Bach'' (1985), were noted for their fluent, intuitive playing and modern arrangements;<ref name="Siegel84"/><ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="Magnussen02"/><ref name="Cooper84">Cooper, Colin. "Bach – Two Generations Concerti for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra," ''Classical Guitar'', March 1985.</ref> ''Guitar'''s [John W. Duarte](/source/John_W._Duarte) described the former as "intensely musical, expressive but not archaically romantic, splendidly embellished, breathtaking in its sureness and cleanness in even the fastest passages."<ref name="Duarte83">Duarte, John. "Bach" (review), ''Guitar'', December 1983, p. 41.</ref>

With two 1991 recordings, Verdery turned to contemporary American music. ''Ride the Wind Horse'' (1991) featured a title piece by Newman, works by Lou Harrison, David Leisner and Roberto Sierra, arrangements of Hendrix's ''Little Wing'' and ''Purple Haze'', and Verdery's own first recorded compositions.<ref name="Small91"/><ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="Cooper94"/> ''Los Angeles Times'' critic John Henken called the album "an important recording distinguished by fluent, evocative playing of strong, characterful repertory."<ref name="Henken91">Henken, John. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-09-ca-597-story.html "Ride the Wind Horse: American Guitar Music,"] ''Los Angeles Times'', June 9, 1991. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref> ''Some Towns and Cities'' featured fifteen original Verdery compositions inspired by American cities, seen in terms of guitar—the product of Verdery's travels as a performer in the Affiliate Artist Program to factories, hospitals, schools and prisons, as well as concert halls.<ref name="Cooper94"/><ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="Martin05"/> Reviews described the album as "strikingly American" and groundbreaking, with touches of blues, jazz, Spanish/Mexican and fingerpicking styles and evocative onomatopoeic references. Named ''Guitar Player'''s 1992 Best Classical Guitar Recording, it included duets with Fred Hand, Leo Kottke, Paco Peña, John Williams and Rie Schmidt, as well as chamber music selections.<ref name="McLellan92">McLellan, Joseph. "A Travel Guide to Classical Guitar," ''The Washington Post'', March 27, 1992.</ref><ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="Small91"/><ref name="Saulter02"/>

Verdery released three solo guitar albums in the 2000s. ''Soepa'' (2002) included an original, arrangements of four Prince songs, and works by composers Daniel Asia, John Anthony Lennon, Ingram Marshall, Van Stiefel and Jack Vees—each present at their piece's recording.<ref name="Hull02">Hull, Andrew. "Review: Ben Verdery, Soepa," ''Guitarra Magazine'', July 2002.</ref><ref name="Saulter02"/> ''Start Now'' (2005) integrated classical sounds, alternate tunings and electronic effects, as well as African, Indian, flamenco and American popular music elements, including the whimsical "Fix the Funk," the evocative character studies of "Eleven Etudes," and the experimental "Be Kind All the Time."<ref name="Marsh06">Marsh, Steve. "Start Now," ''Classical Guitar'', August 2006.</ref><ref name="Crowe06"/><ref name="Martin05"/> Verdery's ''Branches'' (2006) was praised for its transcriptions of Bach, Mozart and Strauss, three Hendrix songs and "Amazing Grace"; ''Classical Guitar'' described its approach in the latter four as "collage-like"—with fragments and quoted motives developed to fill in for lyrics that nonetheless maintained each work's harmonic language.<ref name="Nicolas06">Nicolas, François. "Branches/Benjamin Verdery," ''Guitare Classique'', September 2006.</ref><ref name="Martin05"/><ref name="Crowe06"/>

In 2016, Verdery released ''On Vineyard Sound'', an album of originals written by Yale School of Music composition faculty that he performed on solo guitar and in duets.<ref name="Mallett16"/> ''San Francisco Chronicle'' writer Joshua Kosman described ''Scenes from Ellis Island'' (2020) as a playful and ambitious five-work set showcasing Verdery as a solo and collaborative composer and multifaceted performer.<ref name="Kosman20"/><ref name="Small20"/><ref name="Textura20">''Textura''. [https://www.textura.org/archives/v/verdery_scenesellisisland.htm "Ben Verdery: Scenes from Ellis Island,"] Reviews. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref> The album included the gospel-inflected guitar duet "What He Said"; "From [Aristotle](/source/Aristotle)", a work combining classical guitar, beatbox rhythms by Marc Martin imitating nature and singing, and spoken-word from the philosopher's ''[Poetics](/source/Poetics_(Aristotle))''; and the atmospheric title track, featuring overdubbed guitars, cello, and African vocal improvisations.<ref name="Kosman20"/><ref name="Textura20"/><ref name="Mallett16"/>

In 2014, Verdery began releasing music videos with prerecorded audio that were filmed in locations matching the moods of the pieces—many filmed and edited by his daughter, Mitsuko Clarke Verdery.<ref name="Assad18"/><ref name="Verdery17"/> His initial "Shangri La Series" (three videos) was filmed at the [Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design](/source/Shangri_La_(Doris_Duke)) outside Honolulu, Hawaii.<ref name="Verdery17"/> As of 2021, Verdery had released 34 videos, containing repertoire such as Bach's ''Chaconne'' and Britten's ''Nocturnal''.<ref name="Donahue18"/><ref name="Verdery17"/> In 2021, during the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic), Verdery and the New York City Classical Guitar Society presented "Peace Love and Guitars," a two-part benefit event premiering sixteen videos featuring him and a number of other artists.<ref name="NYCCGS">New York City Classical Guitar Society. [http://nyccgs.com/peace-love-and-guitars/ "Peace, Love and Guitars: Ben Verdery and Friends in two world premiere video concerts."] Retrieved December 21, 2021.</ref>

====Duo and ensemble recordings====
Verdery has recorded three album collaborations with other guitarists. In 2001, he and steel-string guitarist [William Coulter](/source/William_Coulter) released ''Songs for Our Ancestors'', a wide-ranging album of traditional and ethnic melodies, including Irish [jig](/source/jig)s, an Africa [mbira](/source/mbira) tune, a Tibetan chant and a [Shaker](/source/Shakers) melody; their second, ''Happy Here'' (2011), featured originals, traditional Irish and classical works, and rock songs.<ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="Cmiel02"/><ref name="Donahue18"/> In 2007, Verdery and Andy Summers released ''First You Build a Cloud'', an album of largely joint compositions, many based on improvisations, as well as a Bach "Sarabande" and a version of the [Police](/source/The_Police) song "[Bring On the Night](/source/Bring_On_the_Night_(song))." Reviews noted the album for its variety of moods, stringed instruments (including a ukulele) and textures, often Verdery playing classical over Summer's sonic landscapes (e.g., "Flow").<ref name="Borolo08">Borolo, Luigi. "Andy Summers and Ben Verdery," ''Classical Guitar'', April 2008, p. 11–7.</ref><ref name="Crowe05b"/>

The Schmidt/Verdery Duo have released two albums. ''Reverie'' (1986) features flute/guitar arrangements of French, largely Baroque works that Allan Kozinn wrote, were "played with charm, color, character and zest."<ref name="Kozinn86">Kozinn, Allan. "The guitar on record," ''Guitar Review'', Fall 1986.</ref> ''The Enchanted Dawn'' (1998) offered a more varied global repertoire with works by [Biberian](/source/Gilbert_Biberian), Hand, [Janáček](/source/Leo%C5%A1_Jan%C3%A1%C4%8Dek), [Michio Miyagi](/source/Michio_Miyagi), [Piazzolla](/source/Astor_Piazzolla) and [Shankar](/source/Ravi_Shankar).<ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="AG">''Acoustic Guitar''. "The Schmidt/Verdery Duo, The Enchanted Dawn," Reviews, November 1999.</ref><ref name="Magnussen02"/> In the later 1980s, Verdery released three new-age collaborations with Craig Peyton as Latitude: ''Latitude'','' 40° North'', and ''Emotional Velocity'';<ref name="Verdery17" /> in 1988, their song "40 degrees North" reached #1 on the ''Radio & Records'' National Airplay chart.<ref name="RR">''Radio & Records''. "R&R National Airplay," March 18, 1988, p. 74.</ref> Verdery also recorded in the ensemble, Ufonia—with Vicki Bodner (oboe), John Marshall (percussion), Harvie S. (bass) and Keith Underwood (flute)—releasing a self-titled EP (1994) and album (2002); they primarily feature his own compositions of guitar-directed chamber music borrowing from world cultures and employing rich sonic textures.<ref name="Chapin92" /><ref name="Saulter02" /> In 2016, Verdery collaborated with rapper Billy Dean Thomas, creating four videos, including ''Black Bach'' and ''Hoochie Coochie Man''.<ref name="Mallett16"/><ref name="Assad18"/>

==Teaching and other professional activities==
Verdery has been a guitar professor at the Yale School of Music since 1985.<ref name="Yale"/> He has also taught at [New York University](/source/New_York_University), [Manhattan School of Music](/source/Manhattan_School_of_Music), [Wisconsin Conservatory of Music](/source/Wisconsin_Conservatory_of_Music), Centro Flamenco Paco Peña (Spain), and his own annual summer master class on Maui, Hawaii.<ref name="Ferguson84"/><ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="BVMC">Ben Verdery's Hawaii Masterclass. [http://www.benverderymauiclass.com/about About]. Retrieved November 4, 2021.</ref> His teaching philosophy balances technique, interpretation and performance, while also emphasizing curiosity, intuition, and the physical relationship to the instrument, including posture and breathing.<ref name="Chapin92"/><ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="Magnussen02"/><ref name="Martin05"/> Verdery's instructional work includes the videotape, ''The Essentials of Classical Guitar Vol. 1: Sound and Sensation'' (1989), and the book, ''Easy Classical Guitar Recital'' (1999).<ref name="Verdery99">Verdery, Benjamin. [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/947891302 ''Easy Classical Guitar Recital''], Alfred Publishing, 1999. Retrieved November 4, 2021.</ref><ref name="Saulter02"/><ref name="Donahue18"/> He was the artistic director of [92nd Street Y](/source/92nd_Street_Y)’s Art of the Guitar series from 2007 to 2020 and served as artistic director of the D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts.<ref name="Crowe06"/><ref name="Crowe18">Crowe, Julia. [https://classicalguitarmagazine.com/celebrating-the-20th-anniversary-of-the-92nd-street-ys-concert-series/ "Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 92nd Street Y’s Concert Series,"] ''Classical Guitar'', Summer 2018, p. 28–9. Retrieved November 3, 2021.</ref><ref name="Cooper85"/>

==Discography==
===Soloist works===
*''Bach: Two Generations - Concertos For Guitar & Chamber Orchestra'', Musical Heritage Society (1983)
*''Ride The Wind Horse - American Guitar Music'', Newport Classic/Sony Classical (1991)
*''Bach: Transcriptions for Guitar'', GRI Music (1994); (originally Sine Qua Non, 1983)
*''Soepa - American Guitar Music'', Mushkatweek Records (2001)
*''Branches'', Mushkatweek Records (2006)
*''The Ben Verdery Guitar Project—On Vineyard Sound'', Elm City Records (2016)

===Original composition works===
*''Some Towns & Cities'', featuring duos with Frederic Hand, Leo Kottke, Paco Peña and John Williams, Newport Classic/Sony Classical (1991)
*''Ufonia'', EP, with Vicki Bodner, John Marshall, Harvie S. and Keith Underwood, Mushkatweek Records (1994)
*''Ufonia'', with Vicki Bodner, John Marshall, Harvie S. and Keith Underwood, Mushkatweek Records (2002)
*''Start Now'', Mushkatweek Records (2006)
*''Scenes from Ellis Island'', New Focus Recordings (2020)

===Duo collaborations===
*''Reverie – French Music For Flute & Guitar '', with Rie Schmidt (as Schmidt/Verdery Duo), Newport Classic/Sony Classical (1986) 
*''Latitude'', with Craig Peyton, Earth Flight Productions (1986)
*''Latitude 40 North'', with Craig Peyton, Earth Flight Productions (1987)
*''Emotional Velocity'', with Craig Peyton, Sonia Gaia Productions (1989)
*''The Enchanted Dawn'', with Rie Schmidt (as Schmidt/Verdery Duo),  GRI Music (1998)
*''Song for Our Ancestors'', with William Coulter, Solid Air (2002) 
*''[First You Build a Cloud](/source/First_You_Build_a_Cloud)'', with [Andy Summers](/source/Andy_Summers), R.A.R.E. Records (2007) 
*''Happy Here'', with William Coulter, Mushkatweek Records (2011)

===As featured player===
*''Legends of the Classical Guitar'', Rhino (1991)
*''John Williams Plays Vivaldi Concertos'', Sony Classics (1991)
*''The Romantic Handel'', Helicon Classics (1996)
*''A Celtic Christmas'', Windham Hill (1998)
*''The Mask'', New World Records (1998)
*''Bassoon Brasileiro'', MSR Classics (2004)
*''A Guitar for Elvis'', Solid Air (2010)
*"Atlantis," on ''Mirage'' (Elizabeth Brown), New World Records (2013)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://benjamin-verdery.squarespace.com/ Benjamin Verdery official website]
*[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ben+verdery+guitar+talks Guitar Talks with Benjamin Verdery]
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/benverdery Ben Verdery YouTube Channel]
*[https://music.yale.edu/people/benjamin-verdery Benjamin Verdery], Yale faculty page

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Verdery, Benjamin}}
Category:American male guitarists
Category:American classical guitarists
Category:21st-century American composers
Category:20th-century American composers
Category:Composers for the classical guitar
Category:Composers from New York City
Category:Yale School of Music faculty
Category:Purchase College alumni
Category:Entertainers from Danbury, Connecticut
Category:1955 births
Category:Living people
Category:20th-century American male composers

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Benjamin Verdery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Verdery) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Verdery?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.