Ben Geller

The Zoe Bunten Merrillt Principal Viola Chair

Ben Geller joined the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as Principal Violist in 2014, where he regularly performs as a soloist in the Orchestra and as a chamber musician and teacher in the Charlotte area.

Originally from Rockford, IL, Geller began violin lessons at the age of three in the Suzuki tradition at the Music Academy of Rockford. He continued his musical training at Butler University with Larry Shapiro and formally took up viola with Michael Isaac Strauss, as well as a Jazz Minor with Mark Buselli. He went on to pursue his Master's in Viola Performance at The Juilliard School, where he studied with Toby Appel.  

Following graduation, Geller was awarded a fellowship to the New World Symphony in Miami, FL, where he performed for almost two years. His first professional engagement took him to New Zealand, where he was Associate Principal Violist of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. While in New Zealand, Geller also served as Principal of the Auckland Chamber Orchestra and regularly performed as soloist with both orchestras. He then returned to the United States and joined the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra viola section for two seasons before his appointment in Charlotte.  

In addition to his work in the Charlotte Symphony, Geller has taught and performed at Queens University of Charlotte and the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC, and the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra in Phoenix, AZ. Geller also regularly coaches string programs in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and has been a guest teacher at the Atlanta Music Project.  

Geller plays a viola made for him by Theodore Skreko in 2007 and a Gold Bow from Matthew Wehling in 2008. 

What piece made you fall in love with music? 

I have a tendency to fall in love with every piece of music, especially if it’s something I’m going to perform. I have to love it in order to convincingly sing it through my instrument.  

Do you have any pre-performance rituals? 

I have some breathing exercises I’ll do if I’m feeling jittery, but most of the time I’m just trying to see who’s out in the audience while I warm up and try not to goof around on stage in full view of the audience.  

What's an interesting tidbit about how you chose your instrument? 

I started to play viola in high school to offset the number of violins in the youth orchestra, and while I didn’t take it seriously then, after I started at Butler and met my soon-to-be teacher, Michael Isaac Strauss, it all went downhill from there!  

What’s your favorite thing about performing for Charlotte audiences? 

I love that I’ve been here long enough to know more folks in the audience. I love this music and playing with my colleagues, so it can feel like a “show-and-tell” with a big class of friends and like-minded soon-to-be friends! 

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you? 

I am not, in fact, Josh Groban.