Jack Benson has received several commissions for musical arrangements and compositions from churches, schools, universities and professional performance organizations. Several of his works have been performed throughout the country. Catalyst for Trombone Choir, was premiered by the University of Houston Trombone Choir and performed at Potsdam University in New York. He has served as composer in residence for the musical organization Scordatura where he composed numerous works that were performed on countless occasions. Fringe, commissioned and premiered by Aura (Moores School of Music contemporary ensemble), received over twenty-five performances in 2011, most notably by Duo Scordatura. In that same year, he was also commissioned to compose three tangos for young violin students for the benefit concert, Tango for Toys, for the Texas Children’s Hospital of Houston. In 2017, his sonata in three movements: Tightrope was premiered by Duo Scordatura at Carnegie Hall in New York. “Guns blazing” is how Tightrope is described by Andrew Sigler in his article Sounds Heard: Duo Scordatura, The Act of Loving You and Ritual in Newmusicbox.org.

Mr. Benson completed his Bachelor of Arts in music composition at Lamar. He has studied with notable composers William Latham, Martin Mailman and Merrill Ellis at the University of North Texas; Nick Rissman at Lamar; and Robert Smith, Robert Nelson, Michael Horvit and Marcus Maroney at the University of Houston. He received his master’s in music composition and his doctoral studies from the University of Houston. Mr. Benson is an instructor of theory, orchestration, form and analysis, computers in music and music appreciation. In 2014, he co-authored the textbook, Music: Our Cultural Evolution, which is the adopted text for Lamar’s music appreciation classes. In addition, he developed and administers distance learning courses for music appreciation, and has his own commercial recording and production studio.

Mr. Benson’s compositional influences include a wide spectrum of composers, such as Igor Stravinsky, Christopher Rouse, Magnus Lindberg, Michael Torke and Louis Andriessen. The uniqueness of his musical language combines post-minimalism with the influences of rock and jazz elements, interlaced with chromatic textures.