Dr. Ben Carrasquillo

Biography

Ben Carrasquillo joined the faculty at Penn State School of Music in 2025 as an Assistant Professor of Trombone. He previously served on the faculty at Eastern Illinois University and has a dynamic multifaceted career as a performer, educator, composer, and arranger. As an in-demand clinician, Carrasquillo has performed recitals and given masterclasses across the United States. Notable institutions include Ohio State University, University of Iowa, and Boise State University. He has held positions with numerous symphony orchestras including Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra. Carrasquillo is also a jazz commercial player, having performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Temptations. He was a founding member of the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective, an ensemble blending Afro-Caribbean rhythms with modern jazz, and has released albums available on streaming platforms. His compositions and arrangements have been performed nationally and internationally. Carrasquillo holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance with a focus on Jazz Studies from the University of Alabama, a Master's degree in Jazz Studies, and a Doctorate in Performance Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Research Interests