Ben Hauptmann is a prestigious touring and session guitarist based on the Central Coast North of Sydney, Australia. Winner of the 2010 Freedman Jazz Fellowship and 2nd place winner in the National Jazz Awards at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz 2007. Ben has shared the stage with a diverse range of artists including Mavis Staples, Joss Stone, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Paul Kelly, Neil Finn, Justine Clarke, Donny Benet, Bandaluzia Flamenco, Katie Noonan, Bertie Blackman, Jack Ladder, Lior, Bluejuice, Micheline Van Hautem, James Morrison and Tal Wilkenfeld. Internationally he has performed throughout the UK, Europe, USA, Indonesia, China, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand as well as many major Australian music festivals including The Big Day Out, Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, Pyramid Rock Festival, Homebake, Woodford Folk Festival, Splendor In The Grass, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Apollo Bay Music Festival and the Adelaide International Guitar Festival.

Ben wrote the ‘Lead Work’ column for The Australian Guitar Magazine for over 10 years and has taught music at VCA, Monash University and UNSW. Ben has contributed to over fifty recordings including the 2015 ARIA winning ’The Gospel Album’ by Gurrumul Yunupingu and 2009 ARIA winning ‘Secrets and Lies’ by Bertie Blackman, he has released two albums under his own name and co-produced multiple others. He is a current lecturer at The Jazz Music Institute in Brisbane and the Newcastle Conservatorium UON. Ben is currently touring, recording and performing with Justine Clarke, Katie Noonan and Vika & Linda Bull.