Justin Benavidez is the Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Florida State University and leads an active career as a performer and educator. He previously held a similar professorship at the Ithaca College School of Music. Dr. Benavidez is the Tuba-Artist Faculty at the Round Top Summer Music Festival and is the acting Principal Tuba of the Syracuse Symphoria Orchestra and the Syracuse Opera. He also plays with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.
Justin has been a prizewinner at several national and international solo competitions and is a past winner of the prestigious Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition. He was the first tuba player to receive both the New Horizons Fellowship and the Orchestral Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival, where he held the Principal Tuba chair in the Aspen Festival Orchestra. He was the distinguished recipient of the Horace H. Rackham Merit Fellowship for Doctoral Studies at the University of Michigan and was presented with the 2019 University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance Paul Boylan Alumni Award for outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions in the field of music.
Justin Benavidez is one of today’s leading educators, frequently presenting master classes and performing as a guest recitalist at preeminent schools of music, workshops, and conferences. Notable invitations have included the Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, the University of Michigan, the University of North Texas, the Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, the Bern University of the Arts, the Lyon Conservatory of Music, the Paris Conservatory of Music, the United States Army Band Tuba Euphonium Workshop, the International Euphonium and Tuba Festival, and multiple International Tuba Euphonium Conferences. Benavidez’s students have distinguished themselves through numerous accomplishments and awards, including prizes at international solo competitions, fellowships to summer music festivals, assistantships for graduate study, performances with professional ensembles, and teaching positions at secondary and collegiate institutions.
Justin Benavidez is a Melton Meinl Weston performing artist and Denis Wick performing artist. He proudly performs on his MW 2182W F tuba and Nirschl York CC tuba. Justin uses the Denis Wick AT2U, AT3U and AT4U in his orchestral playing and the AT6U and AT8U in his solo playing. He also uses a DW5518 straight mute for tuba.
