Fraley, Benjamin

Dr. Benjamin Fraley (b. 1984) is a percussionist, composer, and educator currently residing in Eau Claire, WI. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree in Percussion Performance and Music Management from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, a Masters of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University. Dr. Fraley’s primary teachers have been Dr. John W. Parks IV, Allen Otte, Russell Burge, James Culley, Benjamin Toth, Alexander Lepak, and Craig McNutt.

A veteran of many musical genres and percussion disciplines, Dr. Fraley has performed and trained in Portugal, Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Ghana, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, as well as the United States. He has been a frequent performer and clinician at PASIC, the Midwest Band and Orchestra clinic, the College Band Directors National Association Conference, the American Bandmasters Association, the Percussion Festival at the Escola Superior de Musica de Lisboa, the National Flute Association Conference, the International Clarinet Association Clarinetfest, the College Music Society Conference, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Conference, multiple National Association for Music Educators conferences, the Chosen Vale International Percussion Seminar, and MusicX, Grandin, Cincinnati Fringe, Make Music Nashville, Make Music New York, and Bang on a Can festivals.

Dr. Fraley teaches percussion through a private studio and through the Eau Claire Area School District. He has held teaching positions at The Hartt School's Community Division, the College-Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Division, Cincinnati Christian University, Troy University, the New England Music Camp, as well as graduate teaching assistantships at the College-Conservatory of Music and Florida State University. Dr. Fraley’s excellence in teaching was acknowledged in 2014 when he was nominated for the Florida State University Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, and was awarded the FSU College of Music Academic Leadership Award.

Dr. Fraley is an in-demand composer especially for new works for percussion and chamber music. His music focuses on the exploration of found objects, experimental timbre, graphic scoring, and elements of performance art. Dr. Fraley is a member of BMI and his compositions are published through Media Press, Inc. and Tapspace Publications, LLC. 

Dr. Fraley performs and presents clinics frequently with Dr. Jennifer Fraley as a member of the Sources Duo, a new music ensemble that brings new or rarely performed works to students and audiences.

Dr. Fraley has performed with several symphonies including the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, and the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. Most notably, he held acting principal and principal percussion positions with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. 

Dr. Fraley is a proud endorser of Pearl/Adams Drums and Percussion, Remo Drumheads and Percussion, Innovative Percussion, and Grover Pro Percussion. Dr. Fraley is also a member of the Percussive Arts Society, the College Music Society, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, and the National Association for Music Educators.