Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of his generation.
He has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums and many collaborative records.
For more than a decade, he has performed with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras, and he currently serves as the first-ever artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Folds released his first book — a collection of related essays, anecdotes and lessons about art, life and music — in 2019, which debuted as a New York Times best seller. He hosted a podcast series spinoff of his book titled “Lightning Bugs: Conversations With Ben Folds.”
In addition to solo rock and orchestral touring, he also is developing a new unscripted TV series with Fred Rogers Productions, continues to appear in various film/TV guest-starring roles and is working on two new albums.
An outspoken champion for arts education and music-therapy funding in U.S. public schools, Folds has served for more than five years as an active member of the distinguished artists committee of Americans for the Arts and serves on the board of AFTA’s Arts Action Fund.
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSO by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
