Renee Benson is a New Orleans-based singer, songwriter, poet, and composer who has toured and performed in over 15 countries. She was featured at the Glastonbury Music Festival, as part of the Austrian entry for Eurovision, and at Vienna’s LifeBall. Most recently, Renee completed a residency at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, in collaboration with Vagabond Inventions on Requiem for a Stranger.
As a teaching artist and Arts Integrated Coordinator at Young Audiences of Louisiana, Renee has taught music/songwriting for arts advocacy programs in the Northwest Territories of Canada and in the South Bronx of New York City, has co-created and led In My Words, and has facilitated for GirlsRock Austria.
Renee’s work bringing mindfulness into educational institutions has led her to create programs for schools and community groups. In addition, she has led workshops on Mindfulness to support Trauma Informed Practices with the Kennedy Center’s VSA program. She had the opportunity to serve Banff Centre of the Arts as Faculty for the Indigenous Arts: Wîchoîe Ahiya Indigenous Singer/Songwriter Intensive and freelance as the Hip Hop educational consultant for the Hamilton Education Program with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES
Media Arts
Music
Theater
SPECIALITY PRACTICE AREAS
Creative Youth Development
Literacy
Professional Development
Mindfulness Practices
