Free | No ticket required
Also streaming live

Ben Carlee DMA Flute Recital

Ben Carlee, flute
Heidi Keener, flute
Carolyn Van De Velde, violin
Zou Zou Robidoux, cello
Will Preston, piano

……

Program

“Sonidos de México – Chamber Works by Mexican Composers”

Suite de la Mancha        Samuel Zyman (1956)
Sancho Panza
Dulcinea
Rocinante

Zou Zou Robidoux, cello
Will Preston, piano

Sonatina for flute, cello, and piano*       Dominic Valadez (b. 1996)

Zou Zou Robidoux, cello
Will Preston, piano
*World premiere

Ariel for Amplified Alto Flute and Flute       Jorge Sosa (b. 1976)

Heidi Keener, flute

Tiempo Plástico for Flute and Violin      Jorge Sosa

Carolyn Van De Velde, violin

Fantasía Mexicana      Samuel Zyman (b. 1956)

Heidi Keener, flute
Will Preston, piano

……

Ben Carlee, a Chicano flutist and passionate advocate for the arts, hails from San Antonio, Texas. Currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Flute Performance with a minor in Arts Administration at UW-Madison, he is honored to study under the guidance of Dr. Conor Nelson as an Advanced Opportunity Fellow in the Mead Witter School of Music.

Ben’s performance record extends throughout the United States, having been featured as a guest artist/performer/clinician at the Wisconsin Flute Festival, Chicago Flute Festival, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, and the North American Conference on Video Game Music, where he gave the world-premiere performance of Dr. Thomas Yee’s arrangement of “Rhapsody on Eight Themes of Octopath Traveler.” Additionally, upcoming engagements as a soloist include a world-premiere performance of “Sones y Jarabes para Flauta y Mariachi” by Jorge Sosa, at the 2024 National Flute Association Convention.

Committed to advancing diversity and inclusivity in music, Ben oversees the National Flute Association’s Lesson Scholarship program, overseeing funding for aspiring, underrepresented flutists across the country. His advocacy is deeply grounded in his conviction for accessible, top-tier music education for all. Formerly serving as Managing Director of the DEIB Festival at UW-Madison, he fervently championed underrepresented artists across diverse mediums within the broader Madison community.

Ben is also the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of the Madison Gamer Symphony Orchestra, a nascent organization in its early phases of establishment dedicated to becoming the United States’ premier professional symphony devoted exclusively to symphonic video game music compositions. He firmly advocates for the ability of video game music to bring communities together, transcending various cultural barriers.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Music and a Master of Music Degree in Flute Performance from the Texas A&M University-Commerce School of Music, where he served as the Flute Studio Graduate Teaching Assistant. He has been fortunate to study under Dr. Kristin Hayes, Dr. Rita Linard, Dr. Rachel Woolf, Dr. Julee Kim Walker, and Dr. Conor Nelson.