Sandy
Bender's passionate but playful music springs forth from his deep and
sensitive listening to the pulse of life expressed through human joys
and sorrows. His artful playing of banjo, guitar, violin, bass guitar,
mandolin and clarinet reveals mines of dazzling beauty culled from bluegrass, folk
ballads, blues, jazz and classical music.
Sandy achieved a Master of Arts in Music and Painting at New York University during which he studied classical guitar with Juan de La Mata, a concert classical and flamenco guitarist as well as professor of music from the Royal Conservatory of Madrid in Spain. This foundation enabled him to integrate melody, harmony and diverse timbre into his musical palette'.
Sandy Bender presently lives in Bucks County, Pernnsylvania not far from the scenic Delaware River. He performs on banjo with the Americana band Wild Mustard and is a composer and poet with the River Poets. He teaches banjo at the Bucks County Community College in Newtown, PA. Sandy is also available to give private instruction in performance, improvisation, and harmonic composition on banjo and guitar.