Pianist

Ben Comeau

Watch
Booking protection
Secure online payments
Free 48hr cancellations
Support available Mon-Sun
Like Ben?
Watch & Listen
Watch
Listen

About Ben

Pianist, composer, organist, known for innovative recitals & eclectic compositions as heard on BBC R3. Available for weddings/functions etc
Ben Comeau's profile picture
Pianist
London
Public liability insurance of £10 million

Ben Comeau is increasingly well-known in both the classical and jazz scenes in London, after graduating top of his year from Cambridge University with a starred first in music in 2014. He is active as a pianist, composer and organist. As a composer he has written and performed two piano concertos, performing the second in venues including Birmingham Symphony Hall and St. Martin's in the Fields. He has been asked to compose for the Britten Sinfonia (who performed the resulting work at the Wigmore Hall), the choirs of St. John's College Cambridge and Truro Cathedral, the King's Lynn Festival, Choir and Organ Magazine and many more. As a pianist, he was recently featured on BBC Radio 3's 'In Tune' programme, where he performed improvisations around material by Bach and Piazzolla. He has performed concertos by Mozart and Gershwin, as well as Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time; highlights of his solo repertoire include much of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, and numerous contemporary works by composers including György Ligeti, Kaija Saariaho, Robin Holloway and Thomas Adès. As an accompanist he has worked with internationally renowned soloists including Sir John Tomlinson, Andrew Kennedy and Nicholas Mulroy. He has an LRSM diploma on piano with high distinction. Ben is increasingly in demand as a jazz pianist. He recently performed with his jazz trio to high acclaim at the New Generation Festival in Florence; other performance venues have included the Union Chapel, Islington, and the Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston. He has just recorded an album of improvised free music with renowned singer Paula Rae Gibson, to hopefully be released next year. He is also known for accompanying up-and-coming cabaret act Bounder & Cad. At the age of 18 he won the inaugural Northern Ireland International Organ Competition, playing part of his own transcription of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite; he recently passed his FRCO organ diploma exam with all the available prizes, and was the was the organ scholar at Girton College, Cambridge for three years. He is very interested in the interplay and relationships between different styles of music. Recital programmes frequently include an eclectic mix of genres and styles, from Bach to Chopin to Debussy to Art Tatum to Pink Floyd to Ligeti. Improvisation forms a large part of his work, both in classical styles and jazz styles, and sometimes mixing the two. He has improvised soundtracks on the organ and piano to the silent films Phantom of the Opera, Nosferatu and Battleship Potemkin. As a teacher he has been employed by Cambridge University to teach harmony, counterpoint, pastiche composition, keyboard skills and aural skills, and he has also taught the latter at Middlesex University.

Encore badges
Member of the Encore community forum
8th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years
Musicianship
Genres:
Classical, Christmas, Traditional church music, Baroque, Classical crossover, Contemporary classical, Early music, Fanfare, Film / TV music, Medieval music, Musical theatre, Opera, Renaissance, 1920s era music, 1930s era music, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, Jazz, Blues, Cabaret, Dixieland, Gypsy jazz, Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, Modern jazz, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Ragtime, Swing, Gospel, Avant garde, Experimental, Easy listening, Light music, Noise music, Originals
See all genres
Instruments:
See all instruments
Event types:
Wedding, Corporate event, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve, Virtual event
See all event types
Other skills:
Fluent improviser, Fluent sight-reader, Repetiteur, Perfect pitch, Musicologist, Arranger, Composer, Orchestrator, Songwriter, Transcription, Accompanist, Instrumental teaching, Composition teaching, Theory teaching, Examiner
See all skills

Ben's Reviews

From customers:

AS
Abbey P
9 years ago

An extraordinary pianist!

DB
David O
10 years ago

During my 12 years teaching organ repertoire and improvisation techniques at Cambridge University, I would say that Ben Comeau has been one of the most gifted musicians I have met.