Benjamin Gish

Benjamin Gish is the director of the Walla Walla Valley Academy String Orchestra and has a large studio of cellists and bassists ranging in age from 4 through 20-something. He is also the director of the Walla Walla Symphony Youth Orchestra and is artist-in-residence at Walla Walla University. Several of his students have won top awards in state, regional, national competitions and major scholarships to colleges and universities.

Mr. Gish is also assistant principal cellist of the Walla Walla Symphony. He holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Music and a Master’s degree in Cello Performance and Conducting. Mr. Gish is frequently asked to be a clinician for orchestra festivals and guest cellist artist and teacher on various campuses. He also adjudicates for state and local chapters of MTNA and MENC.

For the past 25 years, he has attended summer music camps across the nation in the role of student, parent, faculty and guest artist. Mr. Gish is also the director of the Walla Walla Suzuki Institute. He is married to Connie Camp Gish who teaches junior high math and science. They have two children, daughter Julia Gish-Salerno (a violin performance doctoral student at USC and now the violinist on faculty at Eastern Washington University, married to Tres Salerno), and son Jamie, a sophomore at Walla Walla Valley Academy and a cellist in their orchestra.