Benjamin Velez Explained

Occupation:Composer, Lyricist
Genre:Musical theater
Birth Place:Miami, Florida
Benjamin Velez

Benjamin Velez (born 1988) 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.

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]

Velez, alongside Joy Huerta, provided the music and lyrics for the musical Real Women Have Curves, a new musical based on the play of the same name. The show premiered in 2023.[27]

Awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Take Five with Benjamin Velez '10. Columbia College Today. 13 August 2019 .
  2. Web site: Benjamin Velez. Broadway World.
  3. Web site: Benjamin Velez. Dramatists Guild Foundation.
  4. Web site: Benjamin Velez. American Theater Wing.
  5. Web site: Benjamin Velez - About. benjaminvelez.com. September 2023 .
  6. Web site: BMI Announces Winter 'Smoker' Event. February 22, 2018. Broadway World.
  7. Web site: BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop Presents Free Concert on May 1. April 5, 2017. BMI.
  8. Web site: The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop Highlights Emerging Broadway Talent. April 3, 2019. BMI.
  9. Web site: Rebecca Luker, Alysha Umphress and More Take Part in Reading of New Musical Afterland. February 12, 2016. Playbill.
  10. Web site: Christy Altomare, Andrew Keenan-Bolger and More to Sing for Cutting-Edge Composers at Joe's Pub, 2/4. January 14, 2013. Broadway World.
  11. Web site: Photo Coverage: Jennifer Damiano, Jessica Phillips, Eric Michael Krop, Perform at NYMF's CUTTING-EDGE COMPOSERS III. July 24, 2012. Broadway World.
  12. Web site: Benjamin Velez and Katie Hathaway are Seriously Serious. Ars Nova.
  13. Web site: Starblasters. Dixon Place.
  14. Web site: Introducing: BORDERLINE. Weston Playhouse.
  15. Web site: "Borderline" is the first production of the 2019 season at the O'Neill's National Music Theater Conference. June 23, 2019. The Day.
  16. Web site: national music theater conference. Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.
  17. Web site: Review: Berkeley Rep's 'Kiss My Aztec!' brings past to present and future. June 7, 2019. Datebook.
  18. Web site: 'Kiss My Aztec' turns the historical hysterical. June 7, 2019. San Francisco Examiner.
  19. Web site: BWW Review: KISS MY AZTEC! at Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a Hilarious, Socially Hip Historical Romp Through the Aztec Empire. June 18, 2019. Broadway World.
  20. Web site: Review: John Leguizamo's 'Kiss My Aztec!' a splashy and entertaining musical ode that puts a twist on history. September 9, 2019. The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  21. Web site: La Jolla Playhouse's 'Kiss My Aztec!' Takes a Wildly Satirical Look at Colonial History. September 10, 2019. Times of San Diego.
  22. Web site: Review Roundup: What Did Critics Think of KISS MY AZTEC! at La Jolla Playhouse?. September 12, 2019. Broadway World.
  23. Web site: Kiss My Aztec - Hartford Stage .
  24. Web site: The Tempest - The Public .
  25. Web site: July 11, 2023 . Renée Elise Goldsberry Will Be Prospero in Free Shakespeare in the Park Public Works The Tempest Musical .
  26. News: Review: In Central Park, 'The Tempest' Sings Farewell to Magic . The New York Times . 31 August 2023 . Green . Jesse .
  27. Web site: Real Women Have Curves at A.R.T. .
  28. Web site: Harrington Awards Put Spotlight on Creativity. June 19, 2012. BMI.
  29. Web site: Billy Porter, Theresa Rebeck, Kamal Khalladi Headed to Sundance. January 18, 2017. Playbill.
  30. Web site: 2018/2019 Class Of Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows Announced. Broadway World.
  31. Web site: Fifteenth Annual Fred Ebb Award Winners: Angela Sclafani and Benjamin Velez. Fred Ebb foundation.
  32. Web site: Songwriters Angela Sclafani and Benjamin Velez Will Be Honored With 2019 Fred Ebb Award. Playbill.
  33. Web site: 2020 Jonathan Larson Grant Recipients Announced. February 19, 2020. American Theater Wing.

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