Ben Firer

An award-winning conductor, Benjamin Firer is the Orchestra Director at Northeastern Illinois University and the Assistant Conductor with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. Benjamin received his Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University and a Master’s Degree from Yale University.

As a frequent guest conductor, Firer has made appearances with the symphony orchestras of Milwaukee, Altoona, Champaign-Urbana, Dubuque, DuPage, Miami, Fargo-Morehead, Orchestra de la Francophonie, and the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra.

Passionate about inspiring the next generation of musicians, Firer has held conducting positions with the Chicago, Central Pennsylvania & Metropolitan (IL) and Quad Cities Youth Symphonies. A committed educator, he was engaged as as a teaching artist through the Yale University Music in Schools Initiative, providing instruction at the John C. Daniels Magnet School while serving as Music Director of the Yale- Saybrook College Orchestra.

Firer was selected as an Emerging Conductor with the Peninsula Music Festival and as the conducting fellow for the Atlantic Music Festival. He has garnered awards including The American Prize in Conducting, The Woolsey Concerto Competition, Yale Chamber Music Competition, Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship, and the Long Island University Conductors Award. Recognized for his musical entrepreneurship, he was granted the SUNY Thayer Fellowship in the Arts and the Emma Peters Hooper Endowed Award. As an orchestral musician he has recorded for the Naxos and Albany labels.