Roosevelt University CCPA Contemporary Ensemble

Benjamin Firer is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Conducting at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. Based in Chicago, he also serves as Music Director of the Harper Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. In the 2025–2026 season, he is a Music Director finalist with the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, where he will lead a performance of Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with CCPA guitar faculty An Tran. Additionally, he will serve as principal conductor for Harmonie North and will appear as guest conductor of the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, presenting Video Games in Concert, a fully immersive multimedia experience.

He previously served for eight years as Orchestra Director at Northeastern Illinois University, where he led orchestral ensembles, opera productions, and developed the conducting curriculum. He has previously directed collegiate orchestras at Penn State University, Juniata College and Lewis University. Firer serves on the board of directors of the Illinois Council of Orchestras where is serves on the conducting mentorship committee, devoted to supporting budding orchestral conductors and music educators.

A dynamic and sought-after guest conductor, Firer has appeared with orchestras nationally and internationally, including the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra (Hungary), Milwaukee Symphony, Altoona Symphony, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, DuPage Symphony, Miami Symphony, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, and Orchestre de la Francophonie (Canada). He has also served on the conducting staff of the Quad Cities Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, and Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra. Firer holds a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University and a Master’s Degree from Yale University.