From humming Billy Joel in the back seat of his family car during childhood road trips to performing on stages across Italy, music has stretched across the length and breadth of Ben Tatar’s life. A devoted music educator, composer and performer, Ben’s expertise ranges from early childhood music education to a professional performance résumé that includes both jazz and classical music

A multi-instrumentalist (among them, trombone, tuba, piano, guitar, bass, and vocals), Ben Tatar has shared the stage with such notables as Maria Schneider, Slide Hampton, Ben Vereen, Arturo Sandoval, Dave Liebman, Bob Newhart, Phil Woods, and the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. Ben has performed at local Chicago venues including Gallagher Way at Wrigley Field, Joliet’s Rialto Square Theater, Grant Park’s Harris Theater, City Winery, Martyrs’, Schubas, Millennium Park, The Music Box Theater, The Double Door, and The Green Mill Lounge. He has participated in Chicago’s Andersonville Midsommarfest, Milwaukee’s Third Ward Summer Sizzle, and Italy’s Umbria Jazz Festival. He regularly plays trombone throughout the Chicago area in several jazz and Top ‘40s wedding bands.

Ben is in his 17th year of teaching elementary school general music to grades 1-5 in School District 96 in Long Grove, Illinois. His experience ranges from Wiggleworms classes for children ages 0-2 at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music (since 2015) to serving as music director/emcee for a Chicago-based dance troupe. He frequently partners with such organizations as the Chicago JCC, JUF, Bump Club and Beyond, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and Chicago’s East Bank Club.

In 2014, Ben launched his kids’ rock band, Ben Tatar and the Tatar Tots, releasing his first album, Food! that same year. The Tots maintain a busy schedule performing at Chicago area parks, street fests, and private events. Their shows are driven by crowd engagement, humor, and ‘something for every listener.’

In 2020, in response to the pandemic, Ben presented weekly Facebook Live musical variety shows featuring his collection of unusual instruments, fun songs to sing and dance at home, music history, and more. These shows were included in an NPR list of recommended virtual programming for quarantined kids and families and were featured on Chicago’s NBC-5 News. He also added ‘Sidewalk Serenades’ to his resume, short public performances on sidewalks in front of houses to help quarantined families celebrate. 

In 2021, the Tatar Tots released their second full-length album, Seconds, which keeps the food theme going with 10 new exciting songs. It is available in CD form, as well as on streaming services online.

Ben Tatar holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Kansas and a Master of Jazz Studies degree from DePaul University. He lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with his wife and 2 children.