Welcome to the official website of violist Benjamin Beck

Benjamin Beck is an award-winning musician from France, who has an international career. He performs as a chamber musician, soloist, and principal viola in renowned orchestras, and as a regular guest at prestigious festivals. He is also a creative music transcriber, the world's first artist who has arranged complex orchestral pieces and operas for viola, piano or harp, and actor.

Benjamin's most recent work is funded by the French Ministry of Culture in 2019. In this work, he has transcribed the Czech composer Janacek’s masterpiece “The Cunning Little Vixen” into an innovative form for viola, piano and actor, which he defines as a “musical tale.”

International Press:

“Benjamin Beck, with his impetuous and magical playing … beautiful phrasing and elegant interpretation … provoked tears of his Basque audience and a standing ovation”
— Sud-Ouest, France

“…wonderfully touching and expressive interpretation…a flexibility and soloistic virtuosity making a long-lasting impression…”
— Volksfreund, Germany

“…a young musician with a generous and profound sound, powerfully embedding plentiful warmth and roundness…”
— 新潟日報モア, Japan

Benjamin Beck was born in the Basque Country of France. He started to learn viola at the age of seven and already performed on the stage when he was ten. At the age of fourteen, he went to Paris and was soon admitted to the Paris Conservatory (CNSM). Benjamin graduated from the CNSM and the New England Conservatory in Boston, in the class of Kim Kashkashian and Jean Sulem. With a passion for academic studies, Benjamin also holds a Musicology degree from Sorbonne University in Paris.

Playing music is an immense privilege and joy. It can speak directly to the heart of each person: music does not need words. I seek the most sincere and direct routes to express its unspeakable emotions and feelings and to communicate with the audience in the voice of music.

To fulfill this passion and making my viola a voice of its own, I am continually exploring new experiences and possibilities in performing, creating and sharing. It is a wonderful chance to be able to share my music with the world and bring these deep sentiments to life.”

Benjamin Beck

Engaging in performing, creating and sharing classical music to the broader public...

Benjamin Beck is actively creating new content and looking for innovative ways to engage with his audience. This rich perspective is a great way to define his musical identity. It consists of many projects, researches and collaborations, which transform his interactions with the public into intense and personal moments. Through the years, Benjamin developed various projects, keeping a clear focus on expression and narration.

The CD is an exploration of the relationship between the viola and voice. Benjamin attempted with the purpose to answer the questions “what makes the viola such a close instrument to the human voice?”, and “How to tell a story only with music?”

Benjamin Beck’s transcription works turn into the dreamlike performance that blurs the boundaries of the musical genre, where sublime music and fantastical storytelling at times follow one another, and at other times intertwine.