Benjamin Velez
Born1988
Miami, Florida
GenresMusical Theater
Occupation(s)Composer, Lyricist
Websitewww.benjaminvelez.com

Benjamin Velez is an American composer and lyricist.[1][2][3][4]

Early life

Velez was born in Miami, Florida.[5] He is a graduate of Columbia University where he studied film and wrote the 114th annual Varsity Show.[1]

Career

Velez joined the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop in 2010, where he developed multiple projects, including Afterland,[6] Starblasters,[7] and Borderline.[8]

With book writer and co-lyricist Katie Hathaway, Velez developed Afterland at the Yale Institute for Music Theater (2014), the York Theater (2016),[9] and as a part of several concert series in New York City, including Cutting Edge Composers[10][11] and a One Night Stand at Ars Nova (2018).[12] Starblasters had a reading at Dixon Place in 2018.[13]

Velez wrote the score for Borderline, an original musical created with book writer Aryanna Garber, which won the 2018 Weston Playhouse New Musical Award[14] and opened the 2019 O’Neill National Musical Theater Conference.[15][16]

Velez wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics (with David Kamp) for Kiss My Aztec, a new musical from John Leguizamo directed by Tony Taccone. It was developed at the Public Theater and premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theater and La Jolla Playhouse in 2019, where it received critical acclaim.[17][18][19][20][21][22] Kiss My Aztec had its East Coast premiere at Hartford Stage in 2022.[23]

In 2023, Velez was commissioned by the Public Theater to write a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest for its Public Works program, directed by Laurie Woolery.[24][25] It premiered in August 2023 at Shakespeare in the Park and was the final production at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park before its planned 18-month renovation. The production starred Renée Elise Goldsberry as Prospero and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick.[26]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 "Take Five with Benjamin Velez '10". Columbia College Today. 13 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "Benjamin Velez". Broadway World.
  3. ↑ "Benjamin Velez". Dramatists Guild Foundation.
  4. ↑ "Benjamin Velez". American Theater Wing.
  5. ↑ "Benjamin Velez - About". www.benjaminvelez.com. September 2023.
  6. ↑ "BMI Announces Winter 'Smoker' Event". Broadway World. February 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ "BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop Presents Free Concert on May 1". BMI. April 5, 2017.
  8. ↑ "The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop Highlights Emerging Broadway Talent". BMI. April 3, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Rebecca Luker, Alysha Umphress and More Take Part in Reading of New Musical Afterland". Playbill. February 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Christy Altomare, Andrew Keenan-Bolger and More to Sing for Cutting-Edge Composers at Joe's Pub, 2/4". Broadway World. January 14, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Photo Coverage: Jennifer Damiano, Jessica Phillips, Eric Michael Krop, Perform at NYMF's CUTTING-EDGE COMPOSERS III". Broadway World. July 24, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Benjamin Velez and Katie Hathaway are Seriously Serious". Ars Nova.
  13. ↑ "Starblasters". Dixon Place.
  14. ↑ "Introducing: BORDERLINE". Weston Playhouse.
  15. ↑ ""Borderline" is the first production of the 2019 season at the O'Neill's National Music Theater Conference". The Day. June 23, 2019.
  16. ↑ "national music theater conference". Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.
  17. ↑ "Review: Berkeley Rep's 'Kiss My Aztec!' brings past to present and future". Datebook. June 7, 2019.
  18. ↑ "'Kiss My Aztec' turns the historical hysterical". San Francisco Examiner. June 7, 2019.
  19. ↑ "BWW Review: KISS MY AZTEC! at Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a Hilarious, Socially Hip Historical Romp Through the Aztec Empire". Broadway World. June 18, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Review: John Leguizamo's 'Kiss My Aztec!' a splashy and entertaining musical ode that puts a twist on history". The San Diego Union-Tribune. September 9, 2019.
  21. ↑ "La Jolla Playhouse's 'Kiss My Aztec!' Takes a Wildly Satirical Look at Colonial History". Times of San Diego. September 10, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Review Roundup: What Did Critics Think of KISS MY AZTEC! at La Jolla Playhouse?". Broadway World. September 12, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Kiss My Aztec - Hartford Stage".
  24. ↑ "The Tempest - The Public".
  25. ↑ "Renée Elise Goldsberry Will Be Prospero in Free Shakespeare in the Park Public Works The Tempest Musical". July 11, 2023.
  26. ↑ Green, Jesse (31 August 2023). "Review: In Central Park, 'The Tempest' Sings Farewell to Magic". The New York Times.
  27. ↑ "Harrington Awards Put Spotlight on Creativity". BMI. June 19, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Billy Porter, Theresa Rebeck, Kamal Khalladi Headed to Sundance". Playbill. January 18, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Introducing: BORDERLINE". Weston Playhouse.
  30. ↑ "2018/2019 Class Of Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows Announced". Broadway World.
  31. ↑ "Fifteenth Annual Fred Ebb Award Winners: Angela Sclafani and Benjamin Velez". Fred Ebb foundation.
  32. ↑ "Songwriters Angela Sclafani and Benjamin Velez Will Be Honored With 2019 Fred Ebb Award". Playbill.
  33. ↑ "Fred Ebb Award". Wikipedia - Fred Ebb.
  34. ↑ "2020 Jonathan Larson Grant Recipients Announced". American Theater Wing. February 19, 2020.
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