What defines a successful partnership between performer and composer? with Ben Yee-Paulson

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Ben Yee-Paulson is an internationally recognized American composer, who's music has been premiered at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Harvard University, Curtis Institute, Warwick Castle in England, La Schola Cantorum in Paris, the DiMenna Center in New York City, and the world opening of Microsoft’s flagship store in New York City. Nationally, Ben’s music was awarded first-place in the Costello Competition, both a Merit Award and “Emerging Composer” status from the Tribeca New Music Festival, honorable mention from the Charles Ives Concert Series, and finalist position from ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers multiple times. Internationally, he received honorable mention in the Future Blend Composition Competition, and was a semi-finalist in the Tampa Bay Symphony’s Composition Competition. Ben was a composer-in-residence at the Zodiac Music Festival and DePaul University. He is represented by PARMA Recordings.Ben’s music has been played renowned ensembles like the American Modern Ensemble, Ensemble Del Niente, the American Modern Orchestra, the NEC Contemporary Ensemble, and the New York Youth Symphony. Other premieres occurred at the European American Musical Alliance, the Bard Conductor’s Institute, the Atlantic Music Festival, the Zodiac Music Festival, the Mostly Modern Festival, and the International Horn Symposium in Belgium. His music has been played by prominent artists like Grammy-nominated cellist Thomas Mesa, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra violinist Chelsea Kim, and internationally-acclaimed harpist Abigail Kent. Ben is a Doctor of Music student at Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music, studying with Aaron Travers and Claude Baker. He has a Master of Music from New England Conservatory and Bachelors of Music from New York University, where he studied with Michael Gandolfi, Kati Agócs, and Justin Dello Joio.The Question of the Week is, "What defines a successful partnership between performer and composer?" Ben and I discuss fruitful relationships he has had with performers, what the general mindsets and goals of modern day composers are, how performing and playing piano has informed his own composition style, and how he would hope his music would be performed in two hundred years.