Originally from Thailand, Benjamin Pongtep Cefkin is a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Boulder. ÌýHis dissertation titled "Kinship, Conflict, and Collaboration in the Performing Arts Between Colorado's Thai, Lao, and Cambodian Communities" investigates the cross-cultural and intercultural relationship between the youth arts ensembles of various Theravada Buddhist ethnic diaspora communities based around Denver, Colorado.
As a research assistant at the American Music Research Center, Ben works on the NEH-funded "Soundscapes of the People" project collecting oral histories about music and culture in Pueblo, Colorado. ÌýBen also teaches courses on Rock & Roll history and Indonesian gamelan music at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Boulder and University of Northern Colorado. ÌýHe holds a BA in Ethnomusicology from the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Boulder.
Outside of university instruction and research, Ben is a director of music at Denver's Thai Buddhist temple, Wat Buddhawararam and is a musician and dancer with Denver's Balinese Gamelan Tunas Mekar.