Ben Diamond

Described as “a natural performer who infuses his interpretations with energy, excitement, and a broad expressive range”, Newfoundland guitarist Ben Diamond is a well rounded musician who’s passion knows no limits. He is active as an educator, improviser, performer, and collaborator pursuing a wide variety of projects that constantly redefine the 21st century classical guitar. A recent graduate from the M. Mus in performance program at Schulich School of Music (McGill University), Ben’s primary focus is the collaboration with composers to create new works for the guitar. It is his success in premiering contemporary music and love for community building that has earned him many accolades such as the “CBC 30 under 30 hot classical musicians” in 2021, the 2021 ArtsNL Emerging Artist of the year award, and a nomination for the 2025 East Coast Music Award for Electronic Release of the Year. Ben has also placed in competitions such as the 2019 FCMF National Music Festival (SK), 2022 Twisted Spruce International Competition (Virtual), the 2023 Domaine Forget International Guitar
Competition (QC) the Festival-concours de musique Sherbrooke (2024), and the Classival - concours de musique classique (QC, 2025).
 

Ben’s ambition to immerse in contemporary music performance began at the inaugural 21st Century Guitar Conference held in Ottawa during the summer of 2019. It was at the conference that Ben was exposed to a variety of new perspectives on performance and composition that later informed his future projects. This inspired him to record his debut album, PRIME. Featuring 21st century works by Canadian composers, the album was released in 2020 through digital platforms and physical copies. PRIME, the 21st Century Guitar Conference, and a variety of other endeavors led to Ben’s newly found passion to concertize new electroacoustic works for classical guitar. His major project for 2024 is titled VOYAGE - Music for guitar and electronics. The project was recorded to become Ben’s second solo album, and was released in partnership with Redshift Records. Featuring works by Luke Blackmore, Amy Brandon, Krists Auznieks, Andrew Staniland, and Marco Neri, VOYAGE aims to unite audiences of many musical backgrounds by telling stories through the successful combination of clever electronic techniques with the colorful abilities of the guitar.
 

An avid educator, Ben teaches guitar privately in person and online. He has given
masterclasses for the students at Acadia University, Memorial University, the Connecticut Guitar Guild, Ottawa Guitar Society, and the Atlantic Guitar Society for which he co-founded in 2020. Ben also had the pleasure of adjudicating the FCMF National Music Festival competition in the summer of 2023, as well as with the Ontario Provincial Music Festival in 2024. Ben’s former teachers include Sylvie Proulx, Steve Cowan, Patrick Kearney, and Jérôme Ducharme. Outside of his musical endeavors, Ben enjoys spending time with family and friends, going outdoors, and exercising. He is an ambassador for Augustine strings, and plays guitars by Canadian luthier Ross Chiasson.