Ben Bridges
Cello
I've been a multi-instrumental musician for most of my life, and I've been blessed to make music with many famous artists in many amazing venues around the world and across the US.
My musical pursuits began with guitar lessons in the 3rd grade in Philadelphia, PA. By high school, I was playing saxophone and clarinet in the marching and stage bands. I went on to major in Music Education at West Chester University, and Classical Guitar Performance at Temple University.
From 1975 to 1992, I worked as a session and touring guitarist with Stevie Wonder. And through my association with Stevie, I recorded guitar tracks on albums with other artists such as Sergio Mendez, Dionne Warwick, Eddie Murphy, Jermaine Jackson, and Myuki Nakajima (Japan), and I shared the stage with Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Barry Gibb, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, India Arie and others.
All good things do come to an end, and I gradually exited the world of the touring musician, settled down, and turned a hobby into a new career by re-educating myself to write commercial computer software. Over the next 20 years I held software engineering positions with 3 US companies, the last of which was Tyler Technologies here in Maine.
What about the cello? In 2010, after attending an open rehearsal of the Portland Symphony, I was inspired to take up the cello with the goal of reviving my classical training and becoming an orchestral musician. A year later I was accepted as a cellist with the Southern Maine Symphony, where I completed 10 wonderful seasons before coming on board with the Midcoast Symphony in 2021.
Beyond my orchestra-related activities, I've enjoyed playing classical and jazz guitar in various restaurants and nightclubs, and cello for numerous weddings and in pit-orchestras for musicals such as Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Man of La Mancha (guitar), and Urinetown (bass) in Southern Maine. Music is my life, and I expect to continue playing in one form or another for many years to come.
