Benjamin Weber

Ben Weber is violist of the Kontras Quartet and maintains a busy freelance career throughout Chicagoland as a sought-after performer and teacher. As a member of Kontras, Ben is a frequent guest on Chicago 98.7 Classical WFMT, Dame Myra Hess and Rush Hour Concerts, has performed at Telluride, on Late Night with David Letterman, and toured nationally and internationally. Ben is currently on the faculty at the Merit School of Music and Elmhurst University. He has mentored students from age 2 (as part of Merit’s early childhood program) to 80+ (through the Kontras Quartet adult chamber music workshop) and everything in between. Ben’s passion for music pedagogy and advocacy has led him to facilitating numerous educational partnerships with Kontras in schools across the Chicago area.

Dedicated to the music of our time, and especially that of marginalized voices, Ben is an innovator in concert curation. Other chamber projects have included co-founding Crossing Borders Music, performances with ACM Palomar Ensemble at Ganz Hall, and collaboration with Theatre Zarko. Ben has held title chairs in the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and Civic Orchestra of Chicago and was Principal Viola with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. In addition to Kontras Quartet’s ongoing partnership with the Kruger Brothers, he has enjoyed cross-genre collaborations including appearances with Barbra Streisand, Todd Rundgren and Howard Levy.

Ben received his training with Michael Hining at Illinois Wesleyan University and with John Graham and Melissa Matson at the Eastman School of Music. During his time at Eastman, he performed regularly with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra as a participant in the Eastman Orchestral Studies/RPO internship and also received a fellowship to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School, completing additional studies with Jeffrey Irvine and Catharine Carroll. Ben has completed numerous levels of Suzuki training with Edward Kreitman. He studied Spanish language in Buenos Aires, taking violin lessons with Luis Roggero, Concertmaster of the Argentine National Symphony Orchestra. He and his wife are proud parents of their young daughter, Mara.