Ben Harris, Executive Director

As Executive Director, Ben Harris is responsible for the overall leadership of the symphony and administration, encouraging excellence in performance with the goal of serving the whole Northwest Arkansas community. He is involved in the organization’s diversity and educational programs, extending throughout the greater Northwest Arkansas region, and oversees the implementing and planning of major initiatives and policies.

A professional musician, educator, composer/arranger, and booking agent, Ben joined the SoNA family in 2012, serving as Production Manager, then Director of Operations and Annual Giving, then General Manager, and now in the role of Executive Director.

A versatile guitarist originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Ben grew up studying blues, folk, and rock styles and later earned a BA in Music from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he studied jazz and classical guitar. After finishing his undergraduate work Ben spent many years in Little Rock teaching privately and performing in a variety of settings including theater productions, jazz groups, solo guitar performances, dance bands, and recording studio sessions.

After a brief stint in New Orleans where he worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Jazz Studies department at the University of New Orleans, Ben relocated to Fayetteville where he earned a Master of Music degree in Composition in 2008. In addition to private teaching, Ben has served as an Instructor of Music at Northwest Arkansas Community College, Northeastern State University, Benton County School of the Arts, University of Arkansas, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Ben can be seen performing locally and regionally with jazz groups, pop rock cover bands, musical theater pit orchestras, singer/songwriters and as a solo acoustic guitarist, sometimes all in the same week!

As a consummate sideman Ben has played with such notables as Bob Dorough, Michael Feinstein, John Oates, Kenny Washington, Lisa Henry, Bob Sheppard, Mike Steinel, Inga Swearingen and Claire Holley. Ben has also performed as an opening act for a variety of well-known performers including B.B. King, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent, Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night, Karla Bonoff, Missing Persons, Monte Montgomery, Marcia Ball, Tuck and Patti, Patrice Pike, and Eddie Money.