Benjamin Powell

Ben Powell was born in 1998 and grew up in Kennett Square Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. He comes from a musical family who nurtured a love and passion for music from an early age. His parents are classical singers, a soprano and baritone, so Ben and his brother Zachary grew up surrounded by concert halls, dressing rooms, receptions and performances of every sort. Ben and his brother Zach, himself a singer and guitar player, grew up listening to and playing music together with the guidance of their parents. Throughout high school and during summers off from college they played varieties of local gigs from bars to pit orchestras and still make sure to jam whenever they’re in the same place. Ben has been singing for as long as he can remember, and played several different instruments before deciding near the end of high school to principally pursue acoustic and electric bass. Though his degrees are primarily in jazz and classical music, Ben listens to and draws influence from various genres, including popular music, musical theatre, funk, classic rock and progressive rock. In the fall of 2019, Ben made his professional debut as Davy Zlatic in the First National Broadway Tour of the musical Bandstand. One of the principal characters, the role involved acting, singing, dancing and playing double bass in a big band style. Though cut short by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was a great success and a perfect opportunity for Ben to blend his musical skills. He is currently completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan pursuing a BFA in Jazz Studies on acoustic and electric bass and a BMA in Vocal Performance as a bass-baritone.