Taiwanese-American cellist Benjamin Lai was born in California and received his first cello lessons at the age of four from Mikhail Gelfandbein, a former student of Mstislav Rostropovich. At the age of 14 he moved alone to Berlin, where he was accepted as a young student in the class of Prof. Jens Peter Maintz. After graduating from high school, Benjamin studied with Prof. Heinrich Schiff in Vienna, Prof. Julian Steckel in Munich and Prof. Troels Svane in Lübeck. Since April 2024, Benjamin has been teaching at the Lübeck Academy of Music.
Benjamin Lai attended master classes by Janos Starker, Yo-Yo Ma, David Geringas, Natalia Gutman, Frans Helmerson and Miklos Perenyi, among others. As a prize winner of numerous international cello competitions (Popper, Dotzauer, Hindemith, TONALi Grand Prix, Janigro), Benjamin has performed at prestigious venues such as the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg and the Musikverein in Vienna. An avid chamber musician, he has been invited to music festivals such as Music Campus Rhein Main, Kissinger Sommer, Usedomer Musikfestival and Gezeitenkonzerte and since August 2024 he is a member of the multi-award-winning Notos Quartett.
Benjamin is chairperson of Tonhain Kollektiv.
Heplays a cello by Domenico Montagnana ("ex-Olevsky", Venice 1735).