Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Benjamin Bergey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Benjamin, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I had always loved music, especially playing it myself. I started violin at age 5 and piano at age 6. When I was in middle school, I asked for a conductor’s baton and orchestral score to conduct along to my favorite symphony in my bedroom. I loved the idea of being able to facilitate a large group of people toward the common goal of performed music. This stayed with me through high school, where I was given the opportunity to conduct our touring choir for a semester in my senior year. Then in college I had several opportunities to conduct our orchestra or smaller chamber ensembles. Although I went into college trying to decide between a professional career in music or going into premed, I ended up with music as that’s really where my passion was and where my childhood was propelling me toward. I’ve never looked back since!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Benjamin Bergey is a professor of music at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), where he directs the choirs and orchestra, and teaches courses on music and peacebuilding, music theory, and conducting. He is an active musician who currently serves as assistant conductor for the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, and he also conducts the Rapidan Orchestra in Orange, VA.

He completed his doctorate and masters at James Madison University in Orchestral Conducting. His doctoral research focused on how ensemble music can be a tool in peacebuilding by bringing diverse people together for building empathy and dialogue, using two groups in Israel and Palestine as examples. He then started and now advises a new major at EMU called Music and Peacebuilding.

Dr. Bergey received the 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award at EMU, named “40 Under 40” in Yamaha’s Music Educator Award, and won 2nd place in the American Prize for Orchestral Conducting in the University division. He is also active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator.

Additionally, Bergey is a prominent music leader in the Mennonite Church, having recently served as Director of Music at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church for six years, and notably as Music Editor for Voices Together, the hymnal for Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada, as well as compiler and editor for the hymnal’s Accompaniment Edition. He regularly leads worship and resourcing events at assemblies, workshops, and conferences, and was the music planner for the 2022 Mennonite World Conference Assembly music and songbook.

Ultimately, my mission is to bring people together through music. That is one of the main reasons I am a conductor. When people play music together, they build relationships and share a common experience, working creatively to create something beautiful. This shared experience allows for better understanding and empathy, which is what drives my work in music and peacebuilding. When we have common ground, understanding, and empathy, we have the capacity for more constructive dialogue which can help transform and resolve conflict.

Three years ago, I began the Music and Peacebuilding Major at EMU, the first major of it’s kind. It is in this program that I teach the concepts and help train musicians to integrate concepts from the field of peacebuilding to use music to transform conflict.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love bringing people together to create beauty through music. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as working on a large piece of music with orchestra and choir, putting it all together with 100+ students, and helping them realize they are capable of more than they maybe even thought possible.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The field of Music and Peacebuilding has been growing over the last 15-20 years, with networks of practitioners, more research and publications, and now programs and trainings.

For me, this passion started on my study abroad to the Middle East in 2010 where I did some interviews around how music is used within the conflict between Israel and Palestine (i.e. protest, building community, telling stories, bringing people together, raising awareness/advocacy, etc)

A few years later, while working on my dissertation, I again wanted to dive more deeply into the ways music can be a tool within peacebuilding, and looked at literature at these intersections, notably within conflict transformation, empathy, and arts-based peacebuilding. For the dissertation fieldwork, I went to Israel and Palestine again and looked at two non-profits that bring Arab and Jewish youth together–the Jerusalem Youth Chorus and Polyphony Foundation–as well as a literature review of many more groups. These two groups specifically used ensemble music as a means to bring people together and find common ground, and then have professionally facilitated dialogue. I completed my dissertation as well as a lecture recital on this topic, which also led to writing several articles.

Following the dissertation, I was left with this ongoing desire to see how to curriculurize Music and Peacebuilding in higher education, which of course led to working to get this Music and Peacebuilding degree approved and developed at EMU. I am now connecting with many people all around the world in this field.

I have also done ongoing professional development with organizations such as Musicians Without Borders, the Center for Deep Listening, and courses at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.benjaminbergey.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/benjaminbergey
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ benjaminbergey
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/Nz9TPw70F_c
• Other: Article: https://acda.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ec7de004b840e29ab4caeedd8&id=73213209bd&e=513a2bdf38

  Music and Peacebuilding Major: https://emu.edu/music/peacebuilding

Image Credits

Macson McGuigan; Eastern Mennonite University