Benjamin Cornelius-Bates, organist, improviser, and composer, grew up in Alaska.  He earned his BM in organ performance at the University of Montana in Missoula studying with Dr. Nancy Cooper.  After moving to Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife, Benjamin studied organ with Rachel Alflatt and composition with her husband Denis Bédard.  Benjamin earned his MM in Sacred Music from Duquesne University and an Artist’s Diploma studying under Dr. Ann Labounsky, emphasizing improvisation.  Benjamin has a Doctorate in Music Composition at West Virginia University, where he studied with Dr. Joseph Dangerfield, Dr. Matthew Heap, and Dr. David Taddie.  He has competed internationally as an improviser in France, Germany, and the United States and has had numerous commissions including a premier at the 2018 Kansas City American Guild of Organists National Convention.