Ben Laude

Benjamin Laude is an American concert pianist, music educator, and YouTuber[1] known for his hundreds of video lessons and interviews with colleagues of international recognition including Yuja Wang, Garrick Ohlsson, and Marc-André Hamelin.[2] Laude's playing has been described by the New York Times as "superb in pace, tone, and eloquence."[3]

He hosted the 11th National Chopin Competition in Miami in 2025.[4]

Biography

Born in Austin Texas, Laude grew up practicing the piano. At age 17, he made his concerto debut with the Austin Symphony, playing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.1. He holds degrees in piano performance from Rice University and Juilliard, where he studied under Jerome Lowenthal, Matti Raekallio, Robert Roux, and Eric Hicks. At Juilliard, he was teaching assistant to David Dubals, and co-hosted a three-part series of pianist Glenn Gould.[1][5]

Laude was a prizewinner in the national Yamaha Young Performing Artist competition. He received top prizes at the Kingsville International Piano Competition and the Shepherd School of Music Concerto Competition.[3]

His solo performance of Steve Reich's Piano Phase was described by the New York Times as "an amazing, absorbing feat" and praised his playing of Dmitri Shostakovich and Igor Stravinsky as being "superb in pace, tone, and eloquence." He has appeared with orchestras worldwide, giving recitals across three continents, including at Carnegie Hall. Laude is frequently broadcast on stations like WQXR, WFMT, and WWFM.[6]

As an avid educator, he has taught at Bard College Conservatory, New York's Suzuki School for Strings, and graduate fellowships at Juilliard.

YouTuber

Laude manages the YouTube channel for ToneBase Piano, accumulating over 230,000 subscribers and earning a silver play button. He also has a personal account with over 50,000 subscribers.

Over his career at ToneBase, he has collaborated with Simone Dinnerstein, Marc-André Hamelin, Yuja Wang, and the late Leon Fleisher. He co-hosts The Chopin Podcast with Garrick Ohlsson, covering the life and work of composer Frédéric Chopin.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Bach Cantata's website".
  2. ^ "Faculty Directory at Caine College of the Arts".
  3. ^ a b "Ben Laude at Tonebase".
  4. ^ "11th National Chopin Competition".
  5. ^ "Juilliard Journal: Ben Laude".
  6. ^ "Classical Connect".
  7. ^ "Interview with Ben Laude".
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