Benjamin Brown was born and raised in Coupeville, Washington, a dairy farming town located at the heart of Whidbey Island. The seaside tourist town’s pastoral beauty was juxtaposed with the sonic roar of reconnaissance jets overhead, flying low against a canopy of cedar, fir, hemlock, and pine. Mr. Brown’s father was a Master Chief in the United States Navy; bucking the nomadic trend of military life, the Brown family managed to remain on Whidbey Island through the graduation of all four children and the Master Chief’s retirement after 30 years of naval service. The sea, forests, and mountains of Mr. Brown’s Pacific Northwest home would remain in his soul even as the course of life sailed east. After initially beginning his studies to become an accountant, Mr. Brown graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in Vocal Performance and Composition. Mr. Brown immediately followed his undergraduate studies with a graduate degree in Arts Administration from Indiana University. Benjamin Brown’s first full-time role took him east once more, to the Steel City: Pittsburgh. While there, he spent five years with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, first as Operations Coordinator and finally as Production Manager. Benjamin Brown’s achievements included coordinating set construction, designing lighting for hundreds of orchestra programs, and serving the Orchestra on two European tours. After a decade of moving further and further east, he was ready for a westward course correction – to the Music Academy of the West, as it would turn out! Benjamin Brown is excited to be back on his home coast, in his home time zone, to support the mission of the Music Academy and do his part in paving the way toward an ever music-filled future.
