Ben Van Wienen
Ben Van Wienen
Music Librarian & Artistic Coordinator
651.602.6804
Ben prepares and distributes music to all GTCYS ensembles and activities, maintains the library collection, conducts music research, contracts and coordinates sectional coaches and judges, and manages IT operations. Ben was promoted to this role after serving as a Rehearsal Assistant for Sinfonia West and Symphony for three years. He holds a Master’s of Science in Library and Information Science from Syracuse University (NY) and a Bachelor’s of Music in Ethnomusicology from St. Olaf College (MN). During his undergraduate studies, Ben played trumpet in the St. Olaf Band and St. Olaf Jazz bands, sang in the St. Olaf Cantorei choir, and performed in the Javanese Gamelan Ensemble. On a self-directed research trip in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Ben studied the contemporary performance practice of the trumpet and jazz in the nation’s capital city as part of his undergraduate degree work. He discovered his passion for librarianship at St. Olaf College while working as a Music Library Assistant and Performance Librarian for the St. Olaf Band and Minnesota Symphonic Winds.
Ben founded and currently plays trumpet with Bur Oak Brass, a Twin Cities-based brass quintet, and conducts freelance music engraving work outside of GTCYS. In his free time he enjoys attending concerts in the Twin Cities, trying new foods, and learning about current tech.