Ben studied with Dame Fanny Waterman from the age of ten, culminating in many awards including top prize in the Busoni International Piano Competition and winner of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters, Gold Medal. He was immediately engaged to play Mozart with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, leading to performances with the Warsaw Philharmonic. At the Rubinstein competition he also picked up the special prize for chamber music which was perhaps prophetic of his subsequent career. After chart topping recordings for the Naxos label of a cycle of John Field’s Piano Concertos with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, and a BBC Radio 3 best recommendation for his recording of Schumann’s Davidsbündler Op.6, he joined the Gould Piano Trio. New horizons beckoned with a huge chamber repertoire to discover ahead!
In addition to the trio, he formed a duo partnership with pianist Peter Hill and has been guest pianist with the Nash Ensemble on numerous occasions.
In 2022 he gave a complete piano duo day at Wigmore Hall with his wife, Heidi Rolfe. They are currently planning to record Martin Ellerby’s new works for four hands, written for them, including his ‘5 Lowry Pictures’.
In November 2025, Ben will return to Japan to give recitals.