From the vibrant streets of San Francisco to the healing halls of care centers, Benjamin “Bencasso” Barnes is a creative force transforming lives through art, music, and advocacy. As the CEO and Executive Director of Culture Scholar Corporation, a nonprofit dedicated to using therapeutic music and cultural education to serve the elderly, mentally ill, and underserved, Barnes brings hope where it’s needed most. Simultaneously leading Bencasso LLC, his dynamic creative enterprise, he empowers independent artists while producing powerful works that blend recovery storytelling with artistic excellence.
A San Francisco Arts Commission grant recipient and a passionate mental health advocate, Bencasso’s impact stretches from retirement homes to global digital platforms. Whether performing with his electric violin or publishing inspiring media, his mission remains clear: to build connection, resilience, and empowerment through creativity. His work caught the attention of Insiders Views, earning him a well-deserved spotlight in this edition honoring changemakers rooted in strength and purpose.
Q: Please share the beginning of your career journey with us.
Benjamin “Bencasso” Barnes:
I began my career as a street performer—playing and singing alongside my parents to help our family survive. My father was a singer-songwriter and guitarist, and my mother was a visual artist, so creativity ran through everything we did. By the time I was five, I was not only singing and playing guitar, but also selling mine and my mom’s artwork. At nine, I picked up the violin through the Suzuki program at my grade school, and something clicked. I felt most at home when I was making music or drawing.
That grassroots start taught me resilience, hustle, and the importance of community. I eventually pursued formal training at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, earning both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. But even then, I never lost the improvisational spirit of my early days. Whether it was performing in classical concert halls or punk clubs, teaching in underserved schools, or busking on the street, I embraced every opportunity to share my art.
That journey—from street corner to nonprofit executive—is more than a career path. It’s a testament to the power of art to heal, to uplift, and to build a life rooted in purpose and service.
Q: Could you highlight the key offerings of your company?
Benjamin “Bencasso” Barnes:
Absolutely. My work is anchored in two complementary ventures: Culture Scholar Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and Bencasso LLC, a creative enterprise. Both are built on the belief that art and music can transform lives—emotionally, socially, and economically.
Culture Scholar Corporation is dedicated to uplifting underserved communities through the healing power of creative expression. Our mission is deeply rooted in equity, access, and well-being. Some of our core offerings include:
- 🎶 Music & Art Therapy Programs designed specifically for mental health facilities and addiction recovery centers. These programs improve emotional regulation, foster healing, and reduce feelings of isolation.
- 🧠 Mental Health & Loneliness Initiatives, addressing the devastating effects of loneliness—especially in the elderly and those with mental illness—through interactive, soul-nourishing musical experiences.
- 📚 Cultural Education Classes in global music traditions, storytelling, art history, and music appreciation—creating inclusive, multicultural learning environments.
- 🎤 Live Performances & Lecture-Concerts in senior homes, schools, and shelters, where audiences are encouraged to participate, reflect, and connect.
- 🧵 Community Engagement Projects that promote healing, inclusion, and identity through shared artistic expression.
- 🌎 Arts Access for All, our commitment to eliminating barriers based on age, income, disability, or background—making creativity a universal right.
Through Bencasso LLC, I’ve built a dynamic platform that blends music, visual art, education, and entertainment to support artistpreneurs—those turning their passion into purpose and income. Our key initiatives include:
- 🎻 Benjamin Barnes Music, which offers live performances, original recordings, and private lessons in a variety of styles including classical, jazz, and rock.
- 🖼️ Bencasso Art Gallery, which showcases visual art—including works by artists managing mental health challenges—through online and pop-up exhibitions.
- 🦴 Skeletonichi Brand, a line of Halloween and Day of the Dead–inspired apparel and merchandise that fuses fun, culture, and spirituality.
- 📺 Bencasso Media, a network of 25+ YouTube channels streaming art, music, education, and live content to global audiences.
- 📚 Publishing & Licensing, including sheet music, scores, books, and original recordings made available for film, TV, and educational use.
- 🎙️ “The Coaches Corner”, my segment on The Price of Business, where I offer actionable business advice to creatives on one of the country’s longest-running business radio shows.
- 📘 Author of Artistpreneur Economic, a practical manual empowering creatives to build sustainable careers without compromising their artistry.
Together, these two entities allow me to merge community impact with entrepreneurial vision. Whether it’s healing trauma, inspiring creativity, or mentoring the next generation of artists, everything we do is about using the arts as a catalyst for change, resilience, and joy.
Q: Where do you see your journey taking you in the next few years, and what long-term goals are you aiming to achieve?
Benjamin “Bencasso” Barnes:
In the next few years, I see my journey expanding far beyond San Francisco—reaching individuals and communities across the country who are seeking not just healing, but hope, purpose, and creative empowerment. My goal is to turn Culture Scholar Corporation into a nationwide movement with a full-time team and a vibrant network of artists, musicians, and mental health advocates who bring the transformative power of art directly to where it’s needed most: senior homes, mental health clinics, immigrant centers, reentry programs, and addiction recovery spaces.
Long-term, I’m working toward creating education and wellness centers where individuals can learn how to thrive through their creativity. These spaces will teach people how to make a living doing what they love—whether that’s art, music, performance, or building a creative business. I call this model “artistpreneurship”—a fusion of artistic passion and entrepreneurial freedom. These centers will not only develop skills, but foster mutual support, community wealth, and emotional resilience.
I envision Bencasso LLC and Culture Scholar Corporation continuing to collaborate, producing benefit events, performances, exhibitions, and classes that not only celebrate culture—but restore dignity, elevate voices, and create opportunity. Through both platforms, I want to spread a message that creativity is more than self-expression—it’s a tool for healing, for economic empowerment, and for shaping a better world.
Q: Who has been the most significant source of inspiration in your life?
Benjamin “Bencasso” Barnes:
Without a doubt, the most significant source of inspiration in my life has been my mother. She lived much of her life in deep poverty while also navigating the harsh realities of schizophrenia—facing homelessness, institutionalization, and the isolating effects of mental illness. And yet, through it all, she never lost her faith in Jesus or her enduring love for art. That resilience and creative spirit became the foundation for everything I do today.
When I was just ten, my brother and I were separated from her due to a court-issued stay-away order. It was an incredibly painful experience that shaped our lives in profound ways. But nearly a decade later, when we were 18 and 19, we found our way back to each other and began the slow, beautiful process of healing and rebuilding our relationship.
That journey—of love, loss, recovery, and creativity—is chronicled in my 2024 book, Loosened Associations Jazz: Automemoirography of Music, Mischief, and Madness. It took five years to write and serves as a tribute not only to her story but also to the power of art to help us make sense of suffering and transform pain into purpose. Her life reminds me every day that beauty and grace can emerge from even the darkest places—and that creative expression is not just healing, but sacred.
Accolades and Recognition
Benjamin “Bencasso” Barnes has garnered wide recognition for his dynamic contributions to the arts, mental health advocacy, and community engagement. As both a nonprofit leader and a creative entrepreneur, his career is marked by a series of accolades that reflect his artistic excellence, educational impact, and social commitment.
He was awarded the prestigious San Francisco Arts Commission Artist Grant in 2023, receiving $20,000 to further his work in community arts. He also served as a grant review panelist for the California Arts Council in 2022 and again in 2024, contributing to the strategic direction of public arts funding in California.
In 2025, his nonprofit is actively applying for grants from the Council, shifting his role from evaluator to applicant. His resilience and creative drive were further recognized through emergency support from MusiCares in 2022 and a San Francisco COVID-19 Relief Grant in 2020. Earlier in his music career, Benjamin won the Lucky Strike Band Competition with his group Deadweight in 2000—a moment that propelled him to the Fuji Rock Festival stage and launched a series of high-profile collaborations.
Educationally, he holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Violin and Pedagogy from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University. His classical training includes mentorship from violin legends like Sherry Kloss and Izzy Tinkleman, as well as instruction from noted musicians like Paul Hersh and Dave Balakrishnan.
His artistry spans across genres and settings, having performed or recorded with icons such as Jason Newsted of Metallica, Les Claypool, Mr. Bungle, Fishbone, and Dead Prez. He has also been a featured soloist in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and appeared in theatrical roles like Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His chamber music excellence was recognized as part of the Rilke String Quartet, semi-finalists at the prestigious Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition.
In the publishing world, Benjamin is the author of Loosened Associations Jazz: Automemoirography of Music, Mischief, and Madness, a deeply personal work released in 2024. He has published over 80 original compositions and sheet music transcriptions online, created more than 1,000 music and educational videos across 25 YouTube channels, and currently serves as host of The Coaches Corner, a national radio segment on The Price of Business. His music has also been featured in notable compilations like KUSF’s Fortune Cookies, with tracks produced by Jason Newsted.
As the Founder and CEO of the Culture Scholar Corporation and the head of Bencasso LLC, Benjamin has impacted countless lives through programs in senior centers, public schools, mental health clinics, and recovery facilities. His consulting work with the U.S. Department of Education, as well as his longtime role as a teaching artist within San Francisco Unified School District, underscore his dedication to educational equity and cultural access. He was also the subject of the documentary Violin Madness in 2020, which chronicled his unconventional journey through art and healing.
Further distinctions include being named a member of the Royal Society of Arts in 2025 and receiving fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas. As the creator of the Skeletonichi brand and the Bencasso.org online gallery, he continues to redefine what it means to live and lead as a creative changemaker. From street performer to nonprofit executive, from violinist to NFT artist, Benjamin Barnes stands as a living testament to the power of art to transform lives and communities.
Q: What were the most challenging obstacles you’ve encountered in your career?
Benjamin Barnes (Bencasso):
One of the most challenging obstacles I’ve faced in my career was surviving a catastrophic accident in 2007. I was struck by a train—an incident that shattered my skull, broke multiple bones including my collarbone, scapula, and vertebrae, and left me with lasting impairments in memory, vision, and mobility.
Doctors weren’t sure I’d ever play music again. That thought was crushing. I’d spent my whole life expressing myself through violin, guitar, and voice, and suddenly I had to relearn everything. Holding a bow again, even strumming a simple chord—it was like learning to walk after forgetting how to use your legs. The physical pain was intense, but the emotional toll of being separated from my art was even harder.
Poverty has been another constant hurdle throughout my journey. From performing on street corners as a kid just to help my family survive, to living in my car and choosing between buying food or replacing broken violin strings, the struggle was—and sometimes still is—very real. But I wouldn’t trade those experiences. They taught me resilience, empathy, and how to connect with people on a deeply human level. Those moments shaped my belief in the power of creativity to transform pain into something meaningful.
One of the deepest wounds, though, was being separated from my mother during my childhood. She battles schizophrenia, and when I was around ten, the court took her custody away. It tore me and my brother apart emotionally. Years later, when we were adults, we reunited and began to rebuild a relationship grounded in love, forgiveness, and our shared connection to art. That journey is something I poured into my book, Loosened Associations Jazz: Automemoirography of Music, Mischief, and Madness.
Each of these obstacles—poverty, injury, trauma, and the long shadows of mental illness—taught me that survival alone isn’t the goal. You have to transform pain into purpose. That’s what I try to do every day through Culture Scholar Corporation and Bencasso LLC. I create spaces where art becomes a form of healing—for myself, and for others who are walking similar paths.
