TMA149 Members

Percussionist, composer and producer Ben Wittman was raised in the creative and adventuresome atmosphere of Bennington College, Vermont during the ’60s and ’70s. He attended college at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he received a Bachelor in Jazz Performance. While in Boston he dug deeply into the music of Africa, Cuba, Brazil and traditional Celtic cultures. In 1993 he moved to New York City where he further honed his skills, combining his love of world rhythms, composition, songwriting, and record production.

He has recorded and/or performed with a wide range of artists across multiple genres from Sting, Paul Simon, David Clayton Thomas, Paula Cole, Measha Brueggergosman, Laurie Anderson, Erasure, Jonatha Brooke and Rosanne Cash to jazz artists Laila Biali, Molly Johnson, Jackie Richardson, Holly Cole, Don Byron, Heather Bambrick, Genevieve Marentette and The New York Voices to world music artists Natalie McMaster, Eileen Ivers, Solas, Yungchen Lhamo, Jamshied Sharifi, Mamak Khadem and Cathie Ryan.

Ben has also worked extensively in the dance world, accompanying and scoring for numerous dance classes and productions at Tufts University, The Dance Exchange and Martha Wittman. He has been involved in numerous TV and Film scores, including composing the music for a feature documentary “The World of Warcraft”. Ben has also co-written with many artists including Jonatha Brooke, Lucy Kaplansky, Peter Eldridge and Laila Biali. In 2015 Ben moved to Toronto, Ontario beginning a new chapter in both music and life with his wife Laila Biali and son Joshua.