Ben Beckman ’19 won first place in the high school division of the Frost Composition Competition at the University of Miami for his original piece “Three Views” for Piano Quartet.

Beckman plays French horn for the upper school symphony, and his compositions have been played by the symphony in previous concerts.

A frequent participant of music competitions, Beckman has been both composing and playing music for many years. Despite having dabbled in composition as a child, Beckman began seriously writing music when he was in ninth grade.

His newest piece, titled “Three Views,” is the product of his work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Associate Composer Program, which is designed to help young musicians compose their own music.

“The piece was originally titled ‘Three Views in the City’ and was inspired by three different cities we had visited during our travels: New York, Bogotá and Los Angeles,” Beckman said.

Beckman has been playing music for most of life, beginning with piano when he was five.

Because classical music has been a part of him for so long, winning this competition has been an unbelievably wonderful surprise for him, he said.

“Music has always guided me,” Beckman said. “Playing music with others has a way of bringing people together in a way that’s unique.”