About Ben

In the News

Fryxell’s tonal luster imbued the lyrical moments and his command of bowing and dynamics in an extended cadenza were impressive as he conquered Zimmermann’ harmonic and pyrotechnical minefields. - South Florida Classical Review

Symphony in Place: The Digital World of Cello Ben

VIA Academy Teaching

Fryxell’s solo cello (over constant motivic underpinning) spun out Adams’ long-limbed melody with tonal beauty. - South Florida Classical Review

With Michael Tilson Thomas and James Ehnes

Bio

Cellist Ben Fryxell is a seasoned veteran of the concert stage, at home as a soloist, orchestral player, and chamber musician. Since 2022, he has served as Associate Principal Cello of the Jacksonville Symphony, where he was granted tenure less than a year after joining. Before that, he was a Fellow with the New World Symphony, where he played as a principal cellist under conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, HK Gruber, and Susanna Mälkki. He performed with New World and conductor Matthias Pintscher as a soloist in 2022, playing Bernd Alois Zimmermann's "Canto di Speranza".

Ben holds a special interest and strong skillset in contemporary music, and loves how many new sound worlds we can be exposed to by composers of our time. He was invited to be a New Fromm Player at the Tanglewood Music Center in 2022, where he was re-engaged the following summer. During his time in that role, he worked closely with composers such as Reena Esmail, George Lewis, Nico Muhly, Joan Tower, and many others.

Ben is also a passionate educator. In addition to teaching private cello lessons, he has also been sought out as a sectional coach, as well as a music theory pedagogue. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Natasha Brofsky, and worked for the Music Theory and Analysis Department as a Teaching Assistant and Tutor. He then studied at the New England Conservatory of Music for his Master of Music degree, where he was a pupil of Yeesun Kim. He held another teaching assistantship there, this time working as a keyboard harmony teacher.