Benjamin Beirs Guitarist, Teacher, Composer Benjamin Beirs

Blackbird arrangement on CDBaby and iTunes!

For those of you who have seen my Blackbird arrangement on youtube, I’ve recently released the mp3 on CDBaby and iTunes (click here to buy from iTunes). You can buy the mp3s through CDBaby here:

Just in case you haven’t seen the Blackbird video:

New Duo Transatlantique CD!

I’m happy to announce that Duo Transatlantique has recently released our sophomore album entitled “From Moment to Moment.” The album and mp3s can be bought on CDBaby through the link below. It is also available through a number of online vendors including iTunes (click here).

Summer Travels!

I have a busy summer, with two trips to California, a tour of France with Duo Transatlantique, and preparations for recording my next solo CD in early September! Please check my calendar for all my upcoming dates.

For June, I’ll be in Malibu for a little under a week, performing for Bodhifest, a daylong event featuring music, yoga, meditation, and much more. You can view the poster for the event below. July will take me to France, as well as to L.A. for The Buddhist Geeks Conference.

I hope you all have a beautiful and relaxing summer. I hope to see you around!
Ben

Some good news: I was one of a handful of artists and musicians to receive a $1,000 MSAC Individual Artists Award, which will go towards the recording of my next solo CD. More news on that soon!

Also, I’m happy to announce my most recent competition award at the Schadt Concerto Competition in Allentown, PA – I won second prize and the Audience Choice award. Judged by Sergio Assad, William Kanengiser, and Diane Wittry, March 4-6 2011, this was a fantastic competition with a very high level of guitarists, and I was privileged and humbled to be a part of the whole experience. The weekend started out with myself and Gohar Vardanyan giving a radio interview alongside Allentown Symphony Orchestra conductor Diane Wittry for WDIY, the public radio station serving Allentown, PA and the greater Lehigh Valley. Below you can listen to the entire interview, as well as view an album of photos taken after the finals of the competition. Congratulations to all the semi-finalists, as well as Petrit Ceku, 1st prize, and Silviu Ciulei, 3rd prize!

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And now I go into Duo Transatlantique mode for our Spring 2011 Tour in France and the USA! Please visit my calendar for our tour dates if you’d like to see us!

Wishing you a happy Spring,
Ben

I really wanted to have a nice post ready for you all on the 1st of January. Thankfully, I’ve managed to find some to write one before January completely evaporates – in fact, I have one day to spare before February is upon us!

I’ve added FOUR new videos to my music section, and one track to my audio samples. All of these are live, and I hope you enjoy them – just mosey on over to the Music page and dig in!

In other news, I was accepted as a semi-finalist at the 15th annual Schadt String Competitionin Allentown, PA. I will compete with, I believe 9 other semi-finalists for the first prize of money, fame, and immortality. Is that in the fine print?!?! Oh, and a return engagement with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra in 2012. Keep your fingers crossed!

Also prepping for my tour in March 2011 with Duo Transatlantique. Please check our Calendar to see specific dates if you’d like to see us in the Philadelphia / Baltimore area (or in France!).

Wishing you a very healthy, happy and successful 2011 – about a month late, but who’s counting?!

-Ben

I had a beautiful tour of England with Duo Transatlantique. We played seven concerts in all, made a new recording, did some sightseeing, met many wonderful people, and I got the feeling that folks were enjoying our concerts, even if for many of them they weren’t very familiar with a concert of classical guitar music. Also, click here to read a review of our first concert of the tour. Enjoy the photos!

Hello friends, I just wanted to let you know about Duo Transatlantique’s upcoming East Coast tour!

Sunday, April 11, 2010 – 3 PM – “Music on the Lake” chamber music series

$15 - House Concert in Lake Barcroft, VA

More info and reservations: ayakodoi@gmail.com (703) 941-1595

Friday, April 16, 2010 – 8 PM – Triangle Guitar Society

$15 / $12 members

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church 3313 Wade Ave. Raleigh, NC 27607

http://physiology.med.unc.edu/TGS/default-t-prezsez.htm

Sunday, April 18, 2010 – 4 PM – Phillips Collection

Price of admission to museum includes concert ticket (no more than $12)

1600 21st Street, NW, Washington, D.C., near the corner of 21st and Q Streets, NW.

http://www.phillipscollection.org/ 202-387-2151

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 – 12 PM – Peabody Spotlight!

Free!

Johns Hopkins East Baltimore Campus, Turner Auditorium

http://web.jhu.edu/cultural_affairs/calendar.html (410) 955-3363

Friday, April 23, 2010 – 7:30 PM – Twenty-Two Gallery

$15/10 students & seniors

236 S. 22nd St. Philadelphia, PA 19103

www.twenty-twogallery.com (215) 772-1911

Sunday, April 25, 2010 – 3 PM – An die Musik LIVE!

$15/10 students & seniors

409 N Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201

www.andiemusiklive.com (410) 385-2638