Performer Biography

Harrison Benford

Born in Washington, D.C. in 2005, Harrison Benford is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and Music Theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music under concert pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi. Harrison began studying piano at age five and credits much of his development as a musician to his teacher of seven years, Nancy O’Neill Breth, and to John O’Conor, his musical mentor throughout highschool. He has been a recitalist at Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall, Strathmore Mansion, NIH, and the Steinway Gallery Annex. He has been first prize winner in many competitions including MTNA Senior Duet, the Rubato International Piano Competition, the Nora Lichtenberg Piano Scholarship Competition, and the Ylda Novik Memorial Concerto Competition. Harrison has participated in masterclasses and worked with such esteemed musicians as Emanuel Ax, Olga Kern, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Ursula Oppens, and Marc-Andre Hamelin, to name a few.

Harrison takes great pleasure in collaborative piano and community outreach, and with other passionate musicians has brought live music to civic and senior centers throughout the D.C. and Cleveland metropolitan areas. One of Harrison’s greatest joys is spending each summer collaborating with other musicians at summer music camps and festivals including Kinhaven, Tanglewood, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, and Greenwood, the camp that sparked his love for chamber music. Harrison ultimately aspires to become a conservatory professor of music theory, as well as a touring chamber musician. He also takes great pleasure in competitive scrabble, D&D, and taking scenic late-night walks.