Ben Marmen

Ben Marmen grew up in the Wolastoq River basin under the Treaties made by the Wolastoqiyik and the Commonwealth. He resettled in Mi’kma’ki in 2010 and studied cello performance with Shimon Walt at Dalhousie University. Following his studies, Ben served as a section cellist in Symphony Nova Scotia. He enrolled in Dal’s master’s program in musicology in 2021, and was granted institutional and federal funding to research the implications of the Treaties of Peace and Friendship for Western art music in Mi’kma’ki. A key lesson learned through this research is that the Treaties provide an indigenous framework for multiculturalism in Mi’kma’ki—a framework that is both appropriate and needed to guide Nova Scotia’s increasingly diverse musical landscape.

Ben teaches one of Dal’s core music history courses, History of Western Music from 1750 to the Present. In this course, students learn to explore this fascinating history as Treaty people with an eye to a better future together.