Benjamin Sheen is a British classical organist who has gained international recognition for his virtuosic performances and innovative programming. Born in 1989 in London, Sheen began playing the piano at the age of four and later took up the organ at the age of eleven. He studied at the prestigious St. Paul's Cathedral Choir School and later at Eton College, where he was a music scholar. Sheen went on to study at the Juilliard School in New York City, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 2011 and a Master of Music degree in 2013. While at Juilliard, he studied with Paul Jacobs, one of the world's leading organists, and also had the opportunity to work with other renowned musicians such as James Levine and Lorin Maazel. Sheen's career as a professional organist began while he was still a student at Juilliard. In 2010, he won first prize in the American Guild of Organists' National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance, which led to numerous concert engagements across the United States. He also won the Pierre S. du Pont First Prize in the inaugural Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition in 2013, which further cemented his reputation as a rising star in the organ world. Since then, Sheen has performed at many of the world's most prestigious concert venues, including the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Berlin Philharmonie. He has also been a featured soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. One of Sheen's most notable performances was his debut at the BBC Proms in 2016, where he performed the world premiere of a new work by composer Nico Muhly. The piece, titled "Whitman, Alabama," was a multimedia work that combined organ music with spoken word recordings of interviews with residents of a small town in Alabama. Sheen's performance was widely praised for its sensitivity and emotional depth. In addition to his performances as a soloist, Sheen is also an accomplished chamber musician. He has collaborated with many of the world's leading instrumentalists and vocalists, including the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the soprano Renée Fleming. He is also a member of the faculty at the Juilliard School, where he teaches organ and harpsichord. Sheen's repertoire is wide-ranging and includes works from the Baroque era to the present day. He is particularly known for his interpretations of the music of J.S. Bach, and has performed the complete organ works of Bach in a series of concerts in New York City. He is also a champion of contemporary music, and has premiered numerous works by living composers. Sheen has received many awards and honors throughout his career. In addition to his competition wins, he was named a Rising Star by the International Performing Arts Forum in 2014, and was awarded the Charles Ives Prize by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2016. He was also named one of the "30 Under 30" musicians to watch by Forbes magazine in 2017. Despite his many accomplishments, Sheen remains humble and dedicated to his craft. He is known for his tireless work ethic and his commitment to bringing the organ to new audiences. In an interview with The Guardian, he said, "I want to show people that the organ is not just a dusty old instrument that belongs in a church.

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