Benjamin Kamins is an American bassoonist, currently active and nationally recognized as both a teacher and performer. He spent his childhood in Los Angeles, and currently resides in Houston.
He began playing bassoon at age 11, motivated by his opinion at the time that "it was the weirdest one."He attended Fairfax High School, a school notable for producing musicians such as Herb Alpert, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Jackson 5. At this time he began his studies with Norman Herzberg, a great bassoon pedagogue and member of the Warner Bros. Orchestra. He attended The University of Southern California for two years before winning a job as Associate Principal of the Minnesota Orchestra in Minneapolis at age 19 in 1972. In addition to playing in the orchestra, he also taught at St. Olaf College and Macalester College during this time.
After playing in the Minnesota Orchestra for 9 years, he won the audition for Principal Bassoon of the Houston Symphony in 1981, and was the bassoon professor at the University of Houston from 1981 to 1985.