Ben Grossman is a Canadian

hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a v ...

player, percussionist, composer and improviser. He performs both as a soloist and as part of various ensembles. Ben's work is featured on over 80 CDs. He has also been recorded for film soundtracks, radio dramas, as well as for television shows and commercials.Productions SuperMusique (PSM),
Guest artist - performer, Ben Grossman
' page from th
organization's website
. Retrieved on 2014-02-03. Grossman was part of the music team awarded the 2005 Golden Sheaf Award in the ''Best Original Music Non-Fiction'' category for the

Ali Kazimi Ali Kazimi D. Litt. (born 1961) is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker, media artist and writer. Early life and education Born and raised in India, Kazimi attended St. Columba's School and graduated from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University in 198 ...

film,

Continuous Journey ''Continuous Journey'' is a 2004 documentary film directed by Indian-Canadian film-maker Ali Kazimi. The film chronicles the events that took place during the 1914 voyage of the Komagata Maru. Summary In 1914, a Singapore-based Sikh known as Ba ...

.Canada's Golden Sheaf Award Winners 2005,
Continuous Journey
''. Retrieved on 2014-02-03. He has performed live with the Toronto Consort,

Ensemble Polaris Ensemble may refer to: Art * Architectural ensemble * ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album * Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary * Ensemble cast (drama, comedy) * Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the chorus * ''Ensem ...

La Nef La Nef (French: The Nave (of a ship or church or a medieval boat) is a French-Canadian early music performance group founded in Quebec in 1991. The founding members were Sylvain Bergeron, the guitar and musical director; and Claire Gignac, the co ...

, BT,

Loreena McKennitt Loreena Isobel Irene McKennitt, (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. McKennitt is known for her ...

, (amongst others) and in various solo and ensemble improvisational events. Grossman's first solo album, ''Macrophone'' was released in 2007 and features a unique two CD form for simultaneous, aleatoric playback.Ensemble Polaris,
About the band members: Ben Grossman
'' page from th
ensemble's website
Retrieved on 2014-02-03. Grossman has presented hurdy-gurdy workshops and lessons with

Valentin Clastrier French musician Valentin Clastrier (born 1947) is one of the few performers in the world specializing in contemporary music for the hurdy-gurdy; before Clastrier, the instrument was used primarily in the performance of European Medieval and folk mus ...

Matthias Loibner Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot * ...

, Maxou Heintzan, and

Simon Wascher Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

. He currently focuses on his efforts in applying the hurdy-gurdy to early, traditional, experimental and ambient music. His goal is to explore the wide range of sound possibilities of this ''acoustic synthesizer''.

Discography

;Solo *''Macrophone'' (2007) *''Live at the Guelph Jazz Festival'' (recorded 2012, released 2019) ;With

*''

A Midwinter Night's Dream :''"A Midwinter Night's Dream" is also the name of episodes from The Golden Girls, and Frasier.'' ''A Midwinter Night's Dream'' is the eighth studio album by the Canadian singer, songwriter, accordionist, harpist, and pianist Loreena McKennitt, re ...

'' (2008) *''

A Mediterranean Odyssey ''A Mediterranean Odyssey'' is a two-disc collection of the music of Canadian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Loreena McKennitt. The disc titled ''From Istanbul To Athens'' features a selection of previously unreleased live recordings f ...

(2009) *'' The Wind That Shakes the Barley'' (2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grossman, Ben Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Hurdy-gurdy players 20th-century Canadian multi-instrumentalists Canadian folk musicians Canadian experimental musicians 21st-century Canadian multi-instrumentalists Canadian percussionists 21st-century Canadian composers 20th-century Canadian composers