Composer and violinist Benjamin Day Smith continually attempts to expand the limits of human-machine performance. Designing and manipulating musical-synthetic worlds using original human interface devices, Smith's works draw on popular and academic themes, convolved into dramatically new visions. Smith performs regularly on stages around the midwest as a violinist and fiddler, playing genres from classical to trance to celtic to cajun. He studied at Ithaca College, NY, the University of Limerick, Ireland, and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He currently holds a Post Doc at the Institute for Advanced Computing Applications and Technologies researching dynamic machine learning models to support next generation human-computer interactions.
Benjamin Smith (b. 1980) is currently employed as a Post Doc at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) working at the Institute for Advanced Computing Applications and Technologies in the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. In 2011 he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition at UIUC. Active as a composer and violinist, his works have been premiered all across North America. Smith has performed extensively with New York area orchestras and chamber ensembles, and toured with his own bluegrass and Celtic, acoustic bands. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Ithaca College, NY, and studied musicology and traditional fiddling at the Irish World Music Center at the University of Limerick, Ireland. His recent work involves interactive, 3D, computer generated environments in combination with real-time music composition/performance systems. Smith is a laughter addict and enjoys finding humor in every cranny of life.
Dr. Ben Smith began his musical journey as a boy in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in Alabama, fiddling through NY, Ireland and Illinois on his way here. This path is evident in his playing, as elements from many diverse styles, including Celtic influences, bluegrass, jazz, cajun, zydeco, and American old-time, become manifest. As a fiddler Ben has lead a number of bands, toured nationally, and appears on dozens of independent label recordings. Currently Ben performs actively with his acoustic trio, the Mean Lids, who recently released their second CD entitled Kalyx.