Ben Krakauer is a banjo player and composer rooted in bluegrass, jazz, and new acoustic music. He has toured with David Grisman and the Bee Eaters and was a founding member of Old School Freight Train.
An award winner at Merlefest, Rockygrass, and the Telluride banjo and band competitions, Ben also appears on recordings for Acoustic Disc, CMH Records, and the Fiddle Masters series.
He has taught banjo at the Shasta Music Summit, the Banjo Summit, the University of Virginia, and Tufts University and has given banjo residencies at Berklee College of Music. He holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Texas, Austin.
Ben teaches fingerstyle repertoire for bluegrass, old-time, and new acoustic music, as well as techniques of improvisation, composition, accompaniment, arranging, and jazz harmony.