Benjamin Finley

Benjamin Finley is currently the Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Percussion Studies at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. Originally from Searcy, Arkansas, Benjamin earned the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance from the University of Texas at Austin, studying with Thomas Burritt, Tony Edwards, and Brannen Temple. Prior to his appointment at East Central University, he served on the faculty of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. In addition, Benjamin was the director of the marching percussion program at the University of Texas from 2003 to 2005, coordinating and teaching the drum line of the Longhorn Band.

Dr. Finley served as percussion caption head of the Delta Brigade Drum and Bugle Corps in 2000 and competed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention Snare Drum Individuals from 1999 to 2001. As an adjudicator/clinician/arranger, Benjamin has worked with several schools in the Austin/San Antonio area, as well as Texas State University, and has given clinics in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Idaho, and Missouri. Benjamin also holds a Master's of Music from the University of Central Arkansas, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Arkansas Tech University. His additional teachers include Blake Tyson, Phil Parker, and Gilbert Baker.

As a concert artist, Benjamin is active in the creation and performance of new music for marimba and percussion and in the presentation of solo concerts throughout the Midwest. Recently Dr. Finley has worked with a consortium of percussion/marimba artists from across the United States in the commissioning of new works by Robert Morris, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Charles Wuorinen, and Halim El-Dabh.

As a composer, Finley has written three solo works for marimba: Evergreen, Ternion and Tree Line. His most recent compositions include Blade for solo percussion and Glacier for percussion ensemble. Benjamin Finley is an endorsing artist/educator for Pro-Mark drum sticks and mallets, and his performance videos can be viewed at his YouTube channel.