Ben Dumbauld has been involved in music and performance for close to three decades. A native to Arizona, he received a Bachelor’s in Percussion Performance and a Master’s in Ethnomusicology from Arizona State University.

In 2006, he moved to New York City to pursue a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the CUNY Graduate Center, which he completed in 2021. In 2024, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Ben’s musical work has generally split between performing, composing, and facilitating opportunities for others (often amateurs) to perform music.

As a performer, Ben has worked with Jazz, Rock, and Folk bands, singer-songwriters, orchestras, churches, and musical theater across Arizona and New York City.

As a composer, he has released sheet music and albums both under his own name and under the projects International Surrealist Bulletin and Synth Bard.

As a facilitator, he established the experimental music label Ephem-Aural, as well as a mallet percussion program for kids and a handbell program for adults while in New York City. In Pittsburgh, he has begun facilitating one-shot public musical rituals, often focused on group performance of percussion instruments.