Ben Shafer grew up in North Carolina, where he first picked up the horn and found his path into music. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree in music performance at UNC Charlotte before heading west to Colorado, where he completed his master's degree in horn performance at the University of Colorado Boulder. He began building a life as a musician here, as Colorado quickly started to feel like home.
Alongside his new role at the LSO, Ben continues an active career as a performing musician, serving as Principal Horn of the Fort Collins Symphony and the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, and performing with many ensembles in North Carolina, Colorado, Oklahoma, Montana and Wyoming. He also teaches horn as a professor at Regis University and a strong private studio, mentoring the next generation of players.
Alongside his life on stage, Ben has long been drawn to the work happening behind the scenes. He currently serves as a Board Member of the Fort Collins Symphony, and previously served as Committee Chair of the Orchestra Committee at the Cheyenne Symphony and as a member of Cheyenne's programming committee. That experience, understanding how an orchestra is run, funded, and shaped season to season, gave him a love for the organizational side of music that led him to step into executive leadership at the LSO.
Ben has also long believed that music belongs in conversation with the community around it. His recital Solely raised funds for the ACLU, and A Breath of Fresh Air explored the intersections of air quality, mindfulness, and art, reflecting a philosophy he hopes to carry into his work with the LSO.
Outside of the office, Ben enjoys cooking, getting outdoors, meditating, and playing board games with friends. He lives in Northern Colorado with his wife, Katie, and their two cats, Tiresias and Hilde, and often a foster cat as well.
