Benjamin David Tufte (b. 1999) takes a multi-faceted approach to music ranging from performance and composition to education and outreach. Mr. Tufte maintains a passion for exploring all the repertoire that the piano has to offer, with a particularly keen interest in giving light to underperformed works. Recent solo performances include pieces by standard composers like Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel sharing the stage with Margaret Bonds, Tōru Takemitsu, and Heitor Villa-Lobos. Notable chamber music performances include the complete duo sonatas by Dmitri Shostakovich, his piano quintet, and the piano quintet by Edward Elgar. Taking place at the Jacobs School of Music, Mr. Tufte has participated in concerts celebrating the 150th birthdays of composers Julián Carrillo (featuring a simulated 1/16th-of-a-tone piano!) and Charles Ives and the 100th birthday of Aurelio de la Vega.

As a composer, he has also received commissions from the Boston-based duo Transient Canvas and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). The UMFA commission, titled "Two Pines. Manitou, Colorado", based on a painting of the same name by Birger Sandzén, was named a finalist in the New York City Contemporary Music Symposium’s 2021 call for scores.

Benjamin is currently pursuing an Artist's Diploma from the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Steven Mayer. Prior to beginning his studies at DU, he completed a Performance Diploma in Piano with Jean-Louis Haguenauer and a Master’s Degree in Piano with Evelyne Brancart and André Watts at Indiana University Bloomington Jacobs School of Music. His Bachelor's Degree was completed at the University of Utah where he majored in both piano and composition, studying piano with Dr. Viktor Valkov and composition Drs. Devin Maxwell, Manuela Meier, Igor Iachimciuc, and Luke Dahn, respectively. He studied with Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel and MaryAnne Anderson at Southern Utah University. Festival appearances include the Wyoming International Chamber Music Festival, Piracicaba International Piano Festival, Roundtop Festival Institute, Brevard Music Center, Curtis SummerFest, and the Helen Taylor Johannesen International Piano Festival.

Based in the Mountain West region of the United States, Ross McIntosh directs the Wyoming International Chamber Music Festival (WICMF), teaches viola and chamber music at the University of Wyoming, and serves as the Assistant Principal Violist of the Boulder Philharmonic. Recent orchestral engagement includes a period as Guest Principal Violist of the BBC Concert Orchestra. An active chamber musician, he performs regularly throughout the United States and Europe, and is delighted to appear frequently as part of the Swiss Chamber Concerts series in Geneva, Switzerland. Ross has shared the stage with artists such as Atar Arad, Joanna Blendulf, Daniel Blumenthal, Alexander Gebert, Stephanie Gurga, Annette von Hehn, Tomo Keller, David Lai, Tony Nys, Timothy Ridout, and Gyula Stuller; and has worked with composers that include Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Don Fruend, Kian Ravaei, Sir John Rutter, and Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber.

As founder and Artistic Director of WICMF, Ross brings together artists from around the world to create innovative chamber music experiences in the spectacular landscape of his home state. All festival concerts are presented free of charge in keeping with WICMF’s mission of making classical music more accessible and welcoming audiences from all walks of life to experience the unique connection fostered through live chamber music.

McIntosh also revived ViolaFest West, the University of Wyoming’s annual viola festival, which brings students to Laramie for masterclasses, workshops, and performances exploring the artistry and versatility of the viola. The 2026 edition, presented in partnership with WICMF, features internationally acclaimed violist Roger Chase as guest artist.

In addition to his work as a violist, Ross is an active organist, performing regularly in both sacred and secular settings. He serves as organist at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His compositions have been performed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, spanning orchestral, chamber, and solo works, art songs, and popular arrangements. Through composing, he seeks to expand his musical voice beyond that of the classical violist.

Ross’s teachers include Timothy Ridout, Pablo Hernan Benedi, Atar Arad, and James Przygocki.

This program is funded by the Clayton & Odessa Lang Ofstad Foundation, Bank of America N. A., Co-Trustee, and by the Howard & Marjory Coker Memorial Fund