Ben Pila

Benjamin Pila is the only classical guitarist that has been chosen to be a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. An avid performer, he has played at Alice Tully Hall, Avery-Fisher Hall and the Kaplan Penthouse in New York City's Lincoln Center. He has also played at the Concert Hall in the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Most recently, Mr. Pila was invited to perform next to Ground Zero at the 2007 September 11th Commemoration Ceremony.Mr. Pila's playing has been featured on the Today Show on NBC as well as on the National Public Radio program From the Top. He was awarded ASCAP's Best Performance of a Contemporary Work and was the Young Artist of the Year in the Florida Chapter of the American String Teacher's Association. Mr. Pila was the grand prize winner of the Tampa Bay Symphony's Concerto Competition and has won prizes in the ASTA National Solo Competition, the NFAA youngARTS Competition, and the National Guitar Workshop Solo Competition. In 2002, he was the first guitarist to receive the Ruth Eckerd Hall Scholarship in the Performing Arts.Benjamin currently holds four Fellowships through the Juilliard School: He is a Gluck Community Service Fellow, an Instrumental Music Program Fellow, a mentor to the McCabe Guitar Fellows, and a Morse Fellow. These programs are designed to introduce educational components into classical music performance and also to integrate music performance into classroom settings.Mr. Pila's teachers include Sharon Isbin, Bruce Holzman, John Parris, Manuel Barrueco, Eduardo Fernandez, Oscar Ghilia, and Pepe Romero. He is currently pursuing his Master's Degree at The Juilliard School in New York City. This summer, he will be the Teaching Assistant for guitar at the Aspen Music School and Festival.