Ben Cadwallader

He has forged strong connections with the Hollywood studio industry, leading to several high-profile gala events that honored industry luminaries such as James Newton Howard, Danny Elfman, Josh Groban, and Joshua Bell. The 2024 gala honoring legendary talent agents Michael Gorfaine and Sam Schwartz raised an historic $1MM, breaking previous fundraising records. Benjamin has also led LACO’s fundraising efforts, including securing a $2MM donation, the single largest gift in LACO’s history.

Benjamin has also prioritized honest and regular communication and collaboration between the board, staff, and musicians, resulting in increased trust and alignment institution-wide. He worked closely with the Nominations and Governance Committee to add six new Board members, half of whom are people of color and four under 50, adding over $300,000 in new contributed revenue. Benjamin has promoted increased diversity on LACO’s Board of Directors, as well as in concert programming, guest artists, artistic leadership, and administrative staff. This commitment to inclusion reflects his broader approach to leading orchestras toward a more vibrant and representative future. Additionally, he played a key role in securing new performance venues for LACO, including securing a pioneering co-production agreement with the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills and laying the groundwork for LACO to be the resident orchestra at Kohl Hall in the Colburn Center when it opens in 2027.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Benjamin led LACO through a period of historic challenge and opportunity. LACO was among the first major American orchestra to execute a comprehensive digital strategy, producing LACO SummerFest 2020 & 2021 and LACO Close Quarters, which were offered via YouTube at no cost, generating millions of views and over $700,000 in sponsorship revenue. Benjamin also guided LACO’s return to live performance with the reopening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in June 2021.

Before joining LACO, Benjamin led the Vermont Symphony Orchestra as Executive Director between 2015 and 2020 and has held leadership positions at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar, laying the foundation for a career in arts leadership.

Benjamin is dedicated to community engagement and education. He currently serves on the Board of the New York String Orchestra Seminar and is in his fourth year serving as a mentor at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. In the past, he has volunteered as an oboe teacher for YOLA at HOLA and as a group facilitator at the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas.

He holds a Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the Mannes School of Music and enjoys reading, running, hiking, traveling, and spending time with his family.