Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison is a multi-instrumental musician, composer and producer from Australia. He has performed and toured across five continents – most recently with Cirque du Soleil’s touring productions of Quidam, KOOZA, VOLTA and Alegria. Benjamin grew up in Adelaide, Australia and began performing in musical productions from a young age, initially beginning studies on piano and violin at the age of four. During his early formative years, Benjamin received a scholarship from a special-interest music school where he received the opportunity to perform and tour nationally and internationally with several multi-award-winning ensembles—including a tour of China as an Australian cultural ambassador in 2003. During this period, Benjamin also achieved several other accolades including selection at the national Generations in Jazz competition playing saxophone in 2004, and as a pianist the following year.
Benjamin Harrison is a multi-instrumental musician, composer and producer from Australia. He has performed and toured across five continents – most recently with Cirque du Soleil’s touring productions of Quidam, KOOZA, VOLTA and Alegria. Benjamin grew up in Adelaide, Australia and began performing in musical productions from a young age, initially beginning studies on piano and violin at the age of four. During his early formative years, Benjamin received a scholarship from a special-interest music school where he received the opportunity to perform and tour nationally and internationally with several multi-award-winning ensembles—including a tour of China as an Australian cultural ambassador in 2003. During this period, Benjamin also achieved several other accolades including selection at the national Generations in Jazz competition playing saxophone in 2004, and as a pianist the following year.
In 2007, Benjamin began studies at the Elder Conservatorium of Music and graduated the following year with a Bachelor of Music Performance, specializing in Jazz Saxophone, after being fast-tracked through the course. During his studies Benjamin held the 1st tenor saxophone chair in the Downbeat magazine award-winning Big Band One, and in 2008, received an award from dB Magazine for Top Undergraduate Saxophone. In early 2010, Benjamin was short-listed for his composition work in the MAX Tropscore competition at the Tropfest International Film Festival and composed the music for The List, an immersive performance by Kirra Cheers of viral sensation Tinderella which premiered in New York in May 2018. From 2010 through to 2012, Benjamin toured North America with Cirque du Soleil’s arena show Quidam playing saxophone and keyboards, and as acting bandleader. In 2014, Benjamin joined Cirque du Soleil’s big top tour of KOOZA and toured Europe, North America, South America and Australia until late 2016 playing saxophone, keyboard, electric guitar, tin whistles, duduk and clarinet. After this, from 2016 until 2019, Benjamin toured North America as bandleader on Cirque du Soleil’s big top production of VOLTA (with music by Anthony Gonzalez of M83) playing keyboard, synth, bass guitar and saxophone. Benjamin is currently bandleader on Cirque du Soleil’s big top production of Alegria.