Dr. Benjamin Vasko serves on the faculties of the University of Central Florida and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where he gives lessons, coaches chamber music, and teaches repertoire classes. He is the founder and director of the Orlando Youth Tuba Ensemble, a high school-aged chamber group dedicated to elevating the performance level of young tuba and euphonium players in Central Florida.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Texas and a Master of Music degree from the University of Georgia, both in Tuba Performance. His primary teachers have been Jorge Avendaño, Steve Haddad, Sam Pilafian, Charles Villarrubia, and David Zerkel. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University under Mike Roylance. Ben’s dissertation is an exploration of the benefits that collaborative learning has on student well-being and musicianship in the collegiate tuba/euphonium ensemble.

Ben has had the honor of performing with the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Jacksonville Symphony, the National Orchestra of Spain, the Orlando Philharmonic, and other wonderful organizations. He tours with the Brookwood Trio (trumpet, tuba, piano) and the Ben Diagram Duo (tuba and steel drum/drum set), bringing unique instrumentations to stages and classrooms around the United States. His recent highlights include the GRAMMY-nominated recording of “Lord of Cries,” John Corigliano’s newest opera, with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, performances with the Jacksonville Symphony, and a tour of Spain where he performed with the Orquesta Nacional de España and taught at conservatories in Valencia, Barcelona, and Cordoba, as well as at the Madrid Tuba Academy. In June 2024, Ben was a guest artist at the International Euphonium Tuba Festival in Atlanta, GA. Ben is an associate artist and soloist with the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, performing concerts and outreach programs across the country.

Ben’s DCI experience includes marching with the Blue Knights (2011) and Blue Devils (2013-2015), winning two Performer’s Showcases,and helping the corps win a Jim Ott Award and two World Championships. As a staff member, Ben taught the Santa Clara Vanguard (2017) and Blue Devils (2018-2022), where the corps won a Jim Ott Award and two World Championships.

Dr. Benjamin Vasko is an Eastman Performing Artist.