Award-winning composer Dr. Benjamin Krause embraces many musical idioms, from the traditional classical repertoire to new music and jazz. His music includes works for orchestra, chamber and jazz ensembles, vocalists and electronics. He was the recipient of a Copland House Residency Award (2018–19), was named the Distinguished Composer of the year in 2018 by the Music Teachers National Association, and has been recognized through other awards and fellowships by the Houston Symphony, Brush Creek Arts Foundation, Presser Foundation and the RED NOTE New Music Festival, among others.  

Dr. Krause, who was based in Texas during his doctoral studies, has performed at venues including New York City's Carnegie Hall and Houston's Zilkha Hall, Museum of Fine Arts, and Menil Collection. In solo performances and in collaborations with many ensembles, he has premiered and performed more than 50 new works and performed the works of major 20th- and 21st-century composers such as George Crumb, Louis Andriessen, John Cage and Pierre Jalbert.

At Hope, he teaches courses in the music department’s core curriculum — including music theory and aural skills — as well as composition, piano and jazz. He also performs and records regularly with fellow Hope faculty members.

Before joining the Hope faculty in 2018 Dr. Krause taught for three years at Valparaiso University, where he founded and directed its New Music Ensemble.

Areas of Expertise

• Composition: music for orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, voice, electronics, film
• Piano: contemporary music, traditional repertoire, jazz, improvisation
• Theoretical interests: Twentieth century musical aesthetics, compositional process, post-tonal prolongation, pedagogy of composition

Education

• DMA, composition, Rice University, 2014
• M.M., composition, University of Oregon, 2010
• B.M., piano performance, Valparaiso University, 2007

Selected Honors & Awards

• Finalist, Rapido! Competition, Atlanta Chamber Players/Atlanta Symphony, 2020
• Runner-Up, RED NOTE New Music Festival Composition Competition, 2020
• Winner, Chamber Orchestra Composition Competition, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra/Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival, 2020
• Copland House Residency Award, 2018–19
• Distinguished Composer of the Year, Music Teachers National Association, 2018
• Emerging Composer Award, Houston Symphony, 2016
• Prix Marion Tournon Branly, American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, France, 2012

Selected Recent Compositions

Orchestral Works

• “Pathways,” 2015, for chamber orchestra
• “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” 2010, for piano and orchestra

Chamber Works

• “Notes From Inside,” 2020, for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello
• “Taxonomies of Pulse,” 2018, for piano duo
• “Luminous Blue Variables,” 2018, for two alto saxophones
• String Quartet No. 1, “Cascades,” 2017
• “from quiet scripts,” 2016, for violin, viola, cello and piano

Vocal Works

• Defined by Words, 2020, five songs for medium voice and piano
• Six Lowell Songs, 2019, for soprano and piano

View all of Dr. Krause’s compositions on his personal website.

Listen to selected pieces.

Outside the College

Benjamin Krause lives with his wife, Christina Giuca Krause, in Holland. Together they enjoy traveling, spending time outdoors, and all kinds of food. He also enjoys reading, cooking, and both playing and watching tennis.