Recently named one of 23 artists who are “changing the sound of classical music” by the Washington Post, Ben Roidl-Ward is the Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also holds positions as Principal Bassoonist of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Illinois Symphony and Co-Principal Bassoonist of Sinfonia Da Camera. Ben’s dedication to working with living composers has led him to serve as the bassoonist of Ensemble Dal Niente and as a Contemporary Leader for the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), and to participate in the premieres of over 150 compositions to date. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the International Contemporary Ensemble, among others. Ben received his DMA from Northwestern University, where he studied with David McGill. His previous teachers include Ben Kamins at Rice University, George Sakakeeny at the Oberlin Conservatory, and Francine Peterson in the Seattle area.