Ben Fernandez MMus, BSc, DCS, PGDMM
Ben Fernandez is a classically trained jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He has a Masters Degree in Music majoring in Jazz performance from the University of Auckland. The topic for his Masters was on using elements of Indian music in Jazz improvisation. He also has degrees in Physics, Computer Science and Business Management. Ben gave up a successful career in Foreign Exchange, Travel Management and Advertising to make music a full time career choice.
Ben has performed at concerts and events in over 25 countries and is an award-winning composer for jingles, TV shows and movies. Ben is originally from Mumbai, India and moved to New Zealand in 2004
Ben was commissioned to compose a piece to celebrate the 100th Birth Anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary. His composition titled ‘Summit’ was performed in concerts in Auckland and Wellington in Oct 2020. He has co-written a book called ‘Songs of Life’ with Pauline Grogan. Ben is currently composing music for two new musical productions ‘Scream’ and ‘Bollywood Item Girls’.
He has released 8 Albums of his music in NZ and his music is available on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, etc . Ben is also an educator and teaches music at colleges in New Zealand. He conducts regular workshops on improvisation in New Zealand and overseas. (Visit www.benfernandez.com for further details about Ben and his music)