Benjamin Roberts
A multifaceted musician and dramatist, Benjamin Roberts is an emerging voice in both the musical theatre and the concert hall. His work has been performed in over a dozen countries across four continents, on television, at major league sporting events, and in theaters nationwide. He has orchestrated for Broadway and Hollywood stars and received notable commissions for his original music by leading figures including former President Joe Biden. He currently serves 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.
“Singular orchestrations.”
– The Chicago Tribune
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 burgeoning 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, and 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
Concert Music
Sleep, Jesus, Sleep performed by Alina Ilchuk the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West. Arrangement by Benjamin Roberts.