Neil Beckmann is a Brooklyn-based guitarist, teacher, instrument builder, and arts worker interested in creating an expansive life in music for himself and others. Encompassing performing, teaching, commissioning new works, exploring the diverse plucked string instrument family, and making his own instruments, he hopes to engender a spirit of curiosity for how music can be made, explored, and performed through many different lenses.
While enjoying performing music from across the centuries, Neil especially enjoys collaborating with composers and working on new music, having been a part of premiering dozens of solo and chamber pieces for guitar.
He has performed in spaces such as Lincoln Center, MASS MoCa, Merkin Concert Hall, Symphony Space, El Museo del Barrio, University of Pennsylvania, Brandeis University, and CUNY Graduate Center in solo, chamber, improvisational, and orchestral settings. An avid chamber musician, he has performed with guitarist JIJI, Heartbeat Opera, BlackBox Ensemble, and lots of friends in venues across New York City.
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Neil lives and works in New York City as a freelancer, traveling around the city to teach and perform and is the co-label manager at New Focus Recordings.
Formative teachers include David Starobin, David Leisner, Clare Callahan, Rodney Stuckey, Richard Goering, Daniel Swenberg, and oodles of books and YouTube videos to learn how to make instruments in his apartment.
