Biography

Described as creating "music of dramatic power and lyric beauty," Dr. Ben Lougheed is known for his “beautifully polished, passionate, and engaging performances.” Ben’s multifaceted career includes over a decade of concertizing, community engagement, music entrepreneurship, and education. Audiences, colleagues, and critics have called Ben "an emerging force in the classical guitar world” and “without question a first-rate artist.”

Lougheed has performed extensively around the U.S. including recent performances for Guitar Sarasota, Utah Classical Guitar, the Treasure Coast Guitar Society, Kerrytown Concert House, the Music in the Woods Series, and the Dale Mabry Guitar Series. He has been praised by presenters for his “virtuosic technique,” “delicate interpretation,” and “high level of artistry.” Upcoming engagements include concerts for the Shoreline Music Society and the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Ben is also a highly sought-after and accomplished instructor who currently teaches at the Temple Music Preparatory. He has previously taught at Florida State University and Pensacola State College, as well as helped found the Lessons Academy at Leon High School to provide private lessons for high-achieving guitar students. His dedication to teaching is demonstrated by the success of his students, who have been selected for the All-State and All-National guitar ensembles as well as won prizes at multiple competitions including the Chicago Guitar Festival, the Troy University Guitar Competition, the University of Florida Guitar Extravaganza, the Latina Arts Guitar Festival, the Southern Guitar Festival, and the Florida Guitar Festival. Due to his impressive record and substantial Suzuki training, Ben has been invited around the country to teach, including visits to Virginia, Utah, Michigan, Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Massachusetts.

Ben founded the Florida Guitar Festival and served as its Executive Director for nearly a decade. In that time, he raised over $100,000 to bring together hundreds of burgeoning musicians and students for educational activities, concerts, and competitions. Additionally, Ben's work with the festival included a collaboration with GRAMMY-winner Bill Kanengiser on the first recorded performance of Sergio Assad’s piece, “The Walls.” On top of that, Ben was a Founder and Artistic Director of the Tallahassee Chapter of Classical Revolution. This music outreach organization produced dozens of concerts that showcased the talents of over 150 performers and became a fixture in the local music scene. For the past few years, Ben has been sharing the knowledge that he learned from these ventures with younger musicians by giving lectures on entrepreneurship and marketing at universities and conferences around the country, including Florida State University, Columbus State University, University of Florida, University of Southern Mississippi, and The Guitar Foundation of American (GFA) Convention.

Ben’s debut album, Baroque Legacies, intertwines music by influential and celebrated Baroque composers with contemporary pieces inspired by these musical giants. It has been described as “an inspiration,” “perfectly performed,” “technically superb,” and “emotionally delicious from start to finish.” His second album, Dancing on Six Strings, is scheduled to be released in 2025.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he attended on the Charlie Byrd Memorial Scholarship. He completed Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees at Florida State University, where he served as a teaching assistant to the legendary pedagogue Bruce Holzman while earning a graduate certificate in Music Education and Leadership.

Ben performs on a handmade double-top guitar by German luthier Antonius Muller.