Ben Mitchell graduated in December 2018 with a bachelors in music education from Stephen F. Austin State University. He has been playing double bass for 12 years, studying with many of Texas’ finest double bass pedagogues such as Jack Unzicker, Gudrun Raschen, Jeff Bradetich, and Carlos Gaviria. Ben was the principal Double Bass in the Longview symphony from 2014-2018, and now regularly substitutes with orchestras in the DFW area. He also earned a position in the Round Top Music Festival orchestra in 2016 and 2017. At SFA, Ben studied conducting and string pedagogy with Dr. Gene Moon, and now studies pedagogy privately with Dr. Tanya Schwoch. During his time at SFA, he taught a local after-school orchestra program in Central Heights ISD and acted as a sectional coach and regional judge for contests in the East Texas area. Ben is very excited to join the Raider orchestra family!