Learn about my story
A Rhode Island native, Benjamin Cruz is excited to join as a first-year clarinet fellow with the New World Symphony. Prior to joining the New World Symphony, Mr. Cruz served as a guest principal clarinetist with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra for their 2021-2022 season. Additionally, Mr. Cruz has served as an associate member with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for two consecutive years as well as holds an active substitute position with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Most recently, he was a finalist in the 2022 U.S. Army “Pershing’s Own” National Collegiate Solo Competition.
Mr. Cruz spent a year pursuing his graduate diploma in Clarinet Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Thomas Martin in 2022.
At NEC, Mr. Cruz was a co-founder of his woodwind quintet group, The Gainsborough Winds. Most recently, his quintet was awarded the Community Performances & Partnership fellowship offered through NEC. This is one of the premier programs in the nation for engaging conservatory students with their community through robust, meaningful partnership activities and high quality training. This program interacts annually with close to 21,000 people through over 600 events that reach across ages, neighborhoods, ethnicities, and economic disparities in the city of Boston and beyond. Mr. Cruz’s personal favorite concert being his recent performance for a local elementary school of Peter and the Wolf arranged for woodwind quintet.
Mr. Cruz holds a master’s degree in Clarinet Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in 2021. There he studied in the studio of Michael Wayne. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from DePaul University in 2019. At DePaul, he studied with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra such as Stephen Williamson, Larry Combs, Julie DeRoche, and Wagner Campos. Mr. Cruz has also actively participated in masterclasses with David Gould, Steve Cohen, Johnathan Gunn, and Eugene Mondie among others.
Away from the clarinet, Mr. Cruz also has a passion for health and fitness. He also enjoys trying new foods, reading comics, hanging out with friends, and spending all day at the beach.