Benja Schnake is a Chilean musician based in New York City whose work fuses Latin

American and Andean folk traditions with contemporary music. A versatile multi-instrumentalist

on guitar, charango, mandolin, Andean flutes, and voice, Schnake is an award-winning composer

and arranger whose career spans international stages and a wide range of genres.

Among his recent honors are 3rd place in the Luis Advis Composition Competition with

Huari (2024) as composer and performer; 2nd place at the Festival of Osorno with Los Sayas

(2024) as orchestral arranger and performer; and 1st place at the Festival del Huaso de Olmué

(2023) as arranger for the band Ankaly. He has also received 1st place at the Festival of

Osorno with Huari (2019) as composer and performer.

Schnake leads his band Benja Schnake. His album The Joy of Playing (2021) features original

compositions in Latin American, Andean, jazz, and contemporary styles, written for nonet and

small ensembles, and includes the participation of Dave Pietro and a Grammy-winning

production team. He has given notable performances in New York at Barbès and Terraza 7, and

in Chile at the Escuela Moderna de Música and La Casa En El Aire.

He is the director of Nostalgia, a Latin American ensemble dedicated to original and reimagined

classic boleros, producing singles such as “Mi Gran Pasión,” “Viejo Bolero” (feat. Bhietxa),

“Te Quiero, Te Adoro,” “Piel Canela” (feat. Jill Peacock), and “Quédate Conmigo Esta

Noche.” He is also a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop at Fordham University,

where he composes new works for jazz orchestra; a guitarist and vocalist with Trio Caliente,

performing throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall (2023); and a charango

player/vocalist with Eclectic Charango Beats, whose EP Desierto Incierto has been presented at

venues such as Sony Hall and SOB’s.

As a collaborator, he has worked with José Luis “Cheo” Pardo, Alea, Felipe Fournier, Erni

Lu, the metal band Non Residents, and the Chilean ensembles Los Sayas and Huari. His

projects have taken him to festivals and cultural events in Chile, the United States, Bolivia, and

Peru, including performances at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Schnake holds a master’s degree in Jazz Studies from New York University, where he studied

with renowned musicians such as John Scofield, Peter Bernstein, Adam Rogers, Alan Ferber,

Gil Goldstein, and Alan Broadbent, and also served as an adjunct guitar instructor. His work as

an educator continues as an instructor at Sage Music, in his private studio, and through

community-based music workshops, sharing knowledge and a deep love for folklore and Latin

American music.