Ben Landon is currently pursuing a degree in percussion performance at the Eastman School of Music. So far at Eastman, Ben has performed in both the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Eastman Philharmonia, along with various chamber ensembles. Recent performances include Strauss's Death and Transfiguration,  Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Shostakovich's 11th Symphony, Sibelius's 5th Symphony, Four Sea Interludes by Benjamin Britten, Fountains of Rome by Ottorino Respighi, New England Triptych by William Schuman, and Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony.  Ben has also performed as an extra percussionist with both the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. 

He is the baroque timpanist of Collegium Musicum, Eastman's primary baroque orchestra, where he performed in full productions of Fairy Queen and King Arthur by Henry Purcell. Ben regularly plays with the Eastman Baroque Trumpet and Kettledrums Ensemble (EBTK) on baroque timpani. In addition, he is a member of the Eastman Percussion Ensemble, where he has recently performed works including Okho by Iannis Xenakis, Relative Riffs by Alejandro Vinao, Fantasy Variations by Michael Colgrass, and Ionization by Edgard Varese. 

Ben studies percussion primarily with Professor Michael Burritt, timpani with Professor Charles Ross, and orchestral percussion with Mark Hodges. He recently completed his junior jury performance including Rebonds A by Iannis Xenakis, Lauferei by Jani Niinimaki, and Velocities by Joseph Schwantner. 

Over the recent summer of 2025, Ben attended the National Orchestral Institute and Festival, performing under the direction of conductors Marin Alsop, Andrew Grams, and David Danzmayr. Studying under prestigious faculty including Alana Wiesing, Svet Stoyanov, Eric Shin, Jauvon Gilliam, and John Tafoya, he had the opportunity to perform music including Mahler's 2nd symphony, Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier and Also Sprach Zarathustra, Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Dukas. During the summer of 2024, Ben attended the Chautauqua Music Festival, playing with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Music Festival Symphony Orchestra, and Chautauqua Percussion Ensemble. He participated in the 150th Chautauqua anniversary performance of Wynton Marsalis's "All Rise," performing alongside Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus.  While attending the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in 2022, he made principal percussion in the World Youth Symphony Orchestra and received the Interlochen Maddy Award. Under conductors including Tito Munoz, Robert Trevino, Rodrick Cox, Cristian Măcelaru, and Tristan Rais-Sherman, he performed pieces including Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz, Dvorak's 6th Symphony, Shostakovich's 5th Symphony, Concerto for Orchestra by Bela Bartok, and Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi. 

He has auditioned and performed at the Arizona Music Educators Association (AMEA) All-Region Festival and All-State Festival from his freshman year on, excluding All-State 2020 which was canceled due to COVID-19. His junior year AMEA solo and ensemble performance of Toshimitsu Tanaka's "Two Movements for Marimba" scored a 98/100 superior, naming him "best in class." With the Arizona Percussion Arts Society (AZPAS), Ben won 1st place in the solo and ensemble competition, and he performed his self-composed snare drum solo "Five Slices of Cheese," resulting in a superior rating. He has performed at many of Josh Gottry's Studio Recitals gottrypercussion.com, and was a member of Josh Gottry's Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) percussion ensemble. Ben has also participated in the Basha High School Marching Band and Basha Indoor Percussion Ensemble (BIPE) for his freshman and sophomore years. The Basha Indoor Percussion Ensemble got first place his freshman year in division A. 

Ben was also a member of Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO), playing in the Percussion Ensemble as well as the Symphony Orchestra. He was timpanist for the full production of Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky in 2022, and was timpanist for the first half of the Swan Lake ballet by Tchaikovsky in 2021. He performed on timpani with the Youth Symphony of the Southwest (YSSW) for Dvorak's 8th Symphony and the Brahms Hungarian Dances 5, 6, and 7, conducted by Cal Kellogg. He has also performed in the Symphony of the Southwest and the Chandler Symphony Orchestra.

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