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Benjamin Mitchell

@benjaminmitchell622

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🎶 Clarinetist and PhD student @royalacademyofmusic
Founder and President @kco_music
Teacher @alexandertechniquedublin

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The opening of the second movement of Schubert’s Octet is a masterclass in simplicity: a single singing line, perfectly shaped, carrying an entire world of emotion.

Watch the full piece on our YouTube channel (link in our bio)!

#schubert #music #art #chambermusic #beautiful by @benjaminmitchell622

For Your GRAMMY® Consideration

Breathers - Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album 💙

Alex Dowling & Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra

Music by @alexpdowling, performed by @kco_music

#grammys #fyc #ambientmusic #breathwork by @benjaminmitchell622

Life update: I’m happy to share that I’ve just started a PhD at the Royal Academy of Music in London! I’m honored to be the first clarinetist accepted into the program and excited for what the next few years will bring.

I’m looking forward to reconnecting with friends in London, meeting new people, and exploring new musical and creative opportunities here. I’ll also be continuing to lead Kaleidoscope and will be in Ireland and the US regularly for family and work. by @benjaminmitchell622

Here’s an excerpt from Paquito D’Rivera’s Aires Tropicales, from last summer’s Santa Monica Music Festival. Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in bio). 🎶

If you don’t already have tickets to the 2026 Santa Monica Music Festival, use the promo code SMMF10 to save 10% on a Festival Pass, good for admission to all programs July 18th-26th!

#music #concert #SantaMonica #festival #california by @benjaminmitchell622

Here’s another exciting moment from last movement of the Schubert Octet! Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in bio). 🎻🎶

If you don’t already have tickets to the 2026 Santa Monica Music Festival, use the promo code SMMF10 to save 10% on a Festival Pass, good for admission to all programs July 18th-26th!

#schubert #music #concert #SantaMonica #festival by @benjaminmitchell622

After nearly an hour of music that ranges from profound to playful, the last movement of Schubert’s Octet bursts to life with wit, energy, and sparkling conversation between all eight players. Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in bio). 🎻🎶

If you don’t already have tickets to the 2026 Santa Monica Music Festival, use the promo code SMMF10 to save 10% on a Festival Pass, good for admission to all programs July 18th-26th!

#schubert #music #concert #SantaMonica #festival by @benjaminmitchell622

By the time Schubert wrote his Octet in 1824, the minuet was already something of a musical throwback.

Originally a graceful French court dance of the 17th century, the minuet had been a staple of works by Haydn and Mozart. Beethoven largely replaced it with the faster, more energetic scherzo—but Schubert chose to bring it back.

His fifth movement, Menuetto, pays homage to an older tradition while unmistakably speaking in Schubert’s own voice: elegant, lyrical, and full of subtle surprises.

Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in our bio)!

#schubert #music #art #beautiful #chambermusic by @benjaminmitchell622

If you had to choose one moment from Schubert’s Octet that never loses its magic, Variation VI from the fourth movement might be it.

Its quiet warmth and soaring lyricism make it one of the most beautiful moments in the entire piece—a reminder that the simplest music can sometimes say the most.

Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in bio)!

#schubert #music #art #beautiful #chambermusic by @benjaminmitchell622

It’s remarkable that Schubert wrote music of such warmth during one of the hardest periods of his life. The fourth movement of his Octet, Andante con variazioni, was composed in 1824, just as he was recovering from the illness that would ultimately claim his life. Rather than dwelling on tragedy, Schubert offers tenderness, humor, elegance, and humanity—one beautiful variation at a time.

Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in bio)!

#schubert #music #art #violín #clarinet by @benjaminmitchell622

If the third movement of Schubert’s Octet makes you smile, that’s exactly the point 🙂

Marked Scherzo—Italian for “joke”—this movement dances with wit, charm, and irresistible momentum. The instruments toss melodies back and forth, teasing and responding to one another before settling briefly into a lyrical, songful middle section.

Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in bio)!

#schubert #music #art #fun #smile by @benjaminmitchell622

Schubert gives the cello some unforgettable moments in his Octet. This excerpt from the second movement highlights the instrument’s warmth, depth, and singing quality, reminding us why it remains one of the most beloved voices in chamber music.

Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in bio)!

#music #art #cello #violin #clarinet by @benjaminmitchell622

One of the joys of Schubert’s Octet is the way each instrument contributes to a conversation that feels both intimate and expansive. This moment from the second movement captures that magic beautifully.

Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel (link in bio)!

#schubert #music #art #violin #horn by @benjaminmitchell622