Ben Novotny

Benjamin Novotny (ASCAP) is a national award-winning flutist, composer, and arranger based in both Pittsburgh, PA and Miami, FL. His career bridges the realms of performance, composition, and musicological research, as he is committed to musical versatility and intellectual curiosity.

 

     As a performer, Ben has performed with Nu Deco Ensemble, Symphony of the Americas, Vero Beach Choral Society, Ensemble Ibis, the Frost Wind Ensemble, Frost Symphony Orchestra, Frost Opera Theater, Miami Sousa Band, and the Pittsburgh Creators Project Symphonic Winds, among others. He has performed with with artists including Michael League of Snarky Puppy, Grammy-winner Arooj Aftab, and Varijashree Venugopal. He is also a founding member of the chamber ensemble Trio Hiraeth with violist Eddy Graul, and pianist Savannah Howard.

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     Ben recently won Third Prize in the 2026 Florida Flute Association College Young Artist Competition this past January, performing Charles Griffes’ Poem for flute and piano. In addition, his arrangement of Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps (premiered by the Frost Flute Ensemble) is now published by ALRY Publications. Ben was also awarded a fellowship to the Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY for contemporary music for the summer of 2025. In 2024, he toured Germany and Austria on the Frost Bands Tour led by Dr. Roy McLerran and Dr. Robert Carnochan, performing in major cultural centers and deepening his appreciation for musical exchange across borders.

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     As an administrator, Ben currently serves as the President of the Frost Student Council, which meets quarterly with administration at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami to discussstudent concerns and incorporate new ideas into the program. He also serves as the Chairman and Founder of the Music Instrumental Performance Advisory Council, a student council within the Department of Instrumental Performance, where he meets weekly with student delegates and administration to ensure students’ voices are heard and to create further community within the department. As a teaching assistant, he supports students and helps them succeed academically and musically, mentoring students and providing tutoring in Music Theory and Aural Skills. Finally, he also serves as the President and Founder of the Carnochan Wind Society, a student organization which seeks to provide additional programming to support the development of wind musicians through guest panels, masterclasses, and wind ensemble and orchestral reading sessions.

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     In addition to his institutional leadership, Ben is the founder and Co-Artistic Director of no comfort in the waiting room, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit new music collective that focuses on accessible, narrative-driven programming of contemporary music from the last 100 years, emphasizing works by historically underrepresented composers. Their debut residency will take place June 17th-20th 2026 at Little Giant Studios in Pittsburgh, PA.

 

    Ben studies flute at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami under the guidance of Dr. Jennifer Grim. Other significant musical influences include Rhian Kenny, Jennifer Steele, Lindsey Goodman, Claire Gunsbury, and Megan Ensor.

As both an artist and an arranger, Ben is committed to honoring the legacies and creativity of underrepresented composers. He views programming and arranging as acts of storytelling— opportunities to uplift voices that have been historically marginalized and to engage audiences with music that challenges, heals, and inspires. His work is guided by an enduring dedication to learning, collaboration, and the belief that music can be a force for empathy and equity.