Mr. Ben has been working with children for over 30 years, and since 2011 has been sharing music and songs with little ones of preschool age as both an early childhood music educator and an engaging children's entertainer. He owns and operates the popular Mr. Ben's Music in Hamilton. A tireless composer, he was the Director of Theatre Ancaster's Jitterbugs musical theatre program from 2012 until 2016, during which time he wrote original music for various stage productions, including musical versions of The Selfish Giant, Where the Wild Things Are, Dr Seuss' Bartholomew and the Oobleck, and Leo Lionni's Frederick.
Ben studied jazz trumpet at Humber College, holds an Hons BFA in Music, and pursued graduate studies in Musicology at York University. He is featured as a guest musician on more than 40 studio albums by artists such as The Relative Minors, Danny Medakovic, Dave Pomfret, Lily Frost, Great Aunt Ida, A Northern Chorus, and Mary Simon, (full list here: benbowen.ca/discography), and after releasing his first EP of kids' folk music (The Bumblebee EP on iTunes), opened for the legendary Fred Penner in St. Catharines in 2011. When he is not busy making music with the young'uns, he continues to play trumpet as a sideman and leader in the GTA, notably as a member of both the Geoff Hudson Band, and the Nosey Neighbour jazz quartet. He is also the proud father of a 12 year-old and a 17 year-old.
In 2023, Mr. Ben finished recording his seventh CD of original children's music Here Comes the Train was subsequently nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Children's Album
credit: Stephanie Ablett
