Benjamin Gradison

Asheville, Benjamin David Gradison, age 28, passed away on Friday, November 30, 2012. A native of Washington, DC, Ben was the founder and director of D-Street Studios, which has connected cultures and built communities through music and recorded many exciting young artists in the Asheville area. He was a skilled producer, collaborator, and musician who brought people together. Ben's work took him around the world, establishing music studios for young adults in Kenya, Tanzania, Columbia, and the Caribbean. Ben also was an educator in Asheville, with a passion for teaching and inspiring children and young adults. His energy, creativity, intellectual prowess, and magnetic personality amazed and inspired everyone he met. He brought an upbeat, forward looking, and optimistic approach to all of his work. Ben was a graduate of Parkmont School and Edmund Burke School in Washington, DC, and received his bachelor's degree from the College of Sante Fe in New Mexico. He is survived by his parents, Heather Gradison of Washington, DC and Bill Gradison and his wife, Cari, of McLean, Virginia; two sisters, Maile Hermida and Logan Gradison of Arlington, Virginia; one brother, Andrew Gradison of Charleston, South Carolina; five half- sisters, Ellen Gradison of Corvallis, Oregon, Wendy Gradison of Vienna, Virginia, Margaret Gradison of Durham, North Carolina, Robin Gradison of Arlington, Virginia, and Beth Lyon of Narberth, Pennsylvania; many nieces and nephews; and myriad dear friends. A celebration of Ben's life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 8, 2012 at Lake Eden, 377 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain, NC 28711. A reception will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ben's name to LEAF (www.theleaf.org/index.php/supportus).

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