Ben Cosgrove
Ben Cosgrove | |
|---|---|
 Cosgrove playing live in Boulder, Colorado in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 30, 1988 |
| Genres | Instrumental |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Multi-instrumentalist, Producer |
| Instrument(s) | piano, keyboards, organ, accordion, upright bass, guitar, percussion, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, violin, field recordings |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Website | bencosgrove.com |
Ben Cosgrove (born 30 January 1988) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist from Methuen, Massachusetts, whose work mainly explores the intersection of sound and place.[1]
Background
Cosgrove is a 2010 graduate of Harvard College, where he was a student of Hans Tutschku, and his music usually features his own performances on piano, guitar, mandolin, banjo, violin, trumpet, trombone, upright bass, and dynamic percussion, among other instruments.[2]
Cosgrove's first instrument was the piano. He began taking lessons as a young child when his family moved into a house whose owners had left behind an upright.[3]
Releases
His 2011 album Yankee Division is based upon landscapes around Massachusetts and the rest of New England and takes its name from the Yankee Division Highway.[4] His fourth album Field Studies deals with the wider American landscape, from the Sierra Nevada to the Everglades.[5] It was released in January 2014.[6]"It’s instrumental music intended to suggest the experience of certain physical landscapes," he stated in an interview with Sound of Boston.[7] The album's first track, “Lafayette” is written about Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire; the song is meant to recreate the moment in the hike when “you get above the clouds and have a unique kind of clarity.”[8]
In 2014, he produced the album Ellery for singer-songwriter Max Garcia Conover, composing and performing arrangements to underpin Conover's melodies.[9]
In 2015, Cosgrove released a live album, "Solo Piano," which features recordings collected from performances in thirteen different states.[10] One reviewer called it "a humbling reminder of just how much emotion can be conveyed without a word on a solo piano that is expertly played."[11]
Literature
Cosgrove also writes nonfiction essays that touch upon place, sound, and art.[12] He began selling a short collection, Seven Essays, at performances and online in early 2016.[13] He was a two-time artist in residence at the Signet Society and has also served as the artist-in-residence at Isle Royale National Park, Acadia National Park, and White Mountain National Forest.[14][15][16]
References
- ^ Patrick Lauppe (2012-10-17). "Harvard Arts Blog » Ben Cosgrove '10 talks music, national parks and urgent signals". Ofa.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ "Composer and musician Ben Cosgrove portrays place in "Yankee Division," a new CD | Harvard Magazine Jul-Aug 2012". Harvardmagazine.com. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ Atlas, Zoe. "Local Spotlight: The Soundscapes of Ben Cosgrove". Sound of Boston. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "» Desktop Submissions: Ben Cosgrove's Yankee Division". Residentmediapundit.com. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ "Ben Cosgrove | Field Studies | CD Baby Music Store". Cdbaby.com. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ Ben Cosgrove. "Store". ben cosgrove. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ Atlas, Zoe. "Local Spotlight: The Soundscapes of Ben Cosgrove". Sound of Boston. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ Atlas, Zoe. "Local Spotlight: The Soundscapes of Ben Cosgrove". Sound of Boston. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Max Garcia Conover". Retrieved 2014-10-22.
- ^ "Red Line Roots: Ben Cosgrove - Solo Piano review". Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ "Red Line Roots: Ben Cosgrove - Solo Piano review". Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ "A Different Kind of Interstate". Landthatilive.com. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ "Seven Essays". Bencosgrove.com. 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ^ "Ben Cosgrove". The Signet Society. 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ "About Ben - Ben Cosgrove". www.bencosgrove.com. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
- ^ "Ben Cosgrove - Artist in Residence". Retrieved 2015-12-13.