Benjamin Roberts
Composer • Orchestrator • Dramatist
Benjamin Roberts is an award-winning composer and orchestrator renowned for his music in both the concert hall and the theatre. Lauded for “singular orchestrations” by the Chicago Tribune, he has crafted arrangements for leading Broadway stars, composed music for The President of the United States, and scored for CBS, ESPN, the Monterey Jazz Festival, NAMM, and TMEA, with live performances of his work in over a dozen countries across four continents.
He serves on active duty as a staff composer for United States Air Force Bands, writing and arranging for America’s premier musicians in an esteemed position previously held by John Williams, Sammy Nestico, and Henry Mancini.
He has authored two new musicals: Ferdinand (music, lyrics, co-book), and Tomás and the Library Lady (music), created with acclaimed playwright and lyricist José Cruz González. He has provided arrangements and music preparation for a host of Broadway talent including JJ Niemann, Brian D’Arcy James, Jessie Mueller, Ethan Slater, Heather Headley, and Jennifer Holliday, among others.
His accolades include First Prize in the Erik Satie International Music Competition for his wind ensemble suite, Judaean Exultations, and the Bernard J. Dobroski Orchestration Award. Benjamin is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with a major in music education from Northwestern University, where he returns annually to guest-lecture in orchestration and music technology.
Press for Judaean Exultations
The award-winning suite of Chanukah songs for concert band is now available for purchase.
'From Darkness to Light: Benjamin Roberts’ Musical Journey in Judaean Exultations
Read Benjamin’s full interview with WOMCO here.
About Benjamin
Born and raised in Austin, Benjamin grew up singing and dancing on stages all over the vibrant Central Texas arts community. He began performing professionally at age 9 when he was cast as “Winthrop” and handed a cornet, and he’s remained a music man ever since. A precocious artist, he started selling works for orchestras, wind ensembles, and marching bands to universities before graduating high school, all while performing in musicals and concerts alongside major stars including Bernadette Peters and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
Benjamin’s career began in earnest while he was a student at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where during his first year he was hired to orchestrate music for a multi-million dollar gala hosted by Stephen Colbert. With his fluency working across genres, Benjamin quickly established himself as an in-demand arranger in Chicagoland and beyond, scoring music for Broadway stars including Brian D’Arcy James, Jessie Mueller, Ethan Slater, Heather Headley, Jennifer Holliday, and others. Benjamin’s time in Chicago reached its zenith orchestrating selections from Candide with a performance featuring a cameo by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“Back to Before” from Ragtime
Orch. Benjamin Roberts
While pursuing his undergraduate degree at Northwestern, Roberts was offered a position with United States Air Force bands as a staff composer and arranger, an esteemed post previously held by John Williams, Sammy Nestico, and Henry Mancini. After graduating in 2021 he enlisted, and he now serves on active duty writing and orchestrating for America’s premier military musicians. His craft and artistry have been recognized on the world stage, with a personal commission by The White House to compose a fanfare for the historic first meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping premiered at San Francisco’s Exploratorium to an audience of presidents, prime ministers, and royalty from over 20 countries.
Benjamin’s music and arrangements have been featured on CBS, ESPN, at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), and the Texas Music Educator’s Association (TMEA), and he maintains a robust musical theatre career, regularly orchestrating Jeff Award-winning musicals at Chicago’s Marriott Theatre, and arranging for regional theaters nationwide including Austin’s ZACH Theatre, The Human Race Theater Co. in Dayton, the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, and over a dozen others. His original score for Tomás and the Library Lady, written with the acclaimed playwright and lyricist José Cruz González, was premiered at Northwestern’s Wirtz Center, and his new original musical, Ferdinand, based on the worldwide-best-selling book, is currently in development.
Benjamin opens the first industry reading of Ferdinand
Pearl Studios in New York City, 2022
Benjamin is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with a major in music education from Northwestern University, where he returns annually to guest-lecture in orchestration and music technology.
The worldwide bestseller is coming to the stage…
Tomás and the
Library Lady
Music by Benjamin Roberts
Adaptation by José Cruz González
Based on the book by Pat Mora
Theatre Orchestrations
