Composer, orchestrator, arranger and musical director Benjamin Kwasi Burrell is a jazz pianist with an eminent theatrical background. Benjamin composed & arranged the production of Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey for the National Theatre in London, and was also composer & musical director for the hit play Small Island, adapted from the book by Andrea Levy. In 2019 he was the recipient of the Musical Director Recognition Award at the inaugural Black British Theatre Awards.

Since 2019, Benjamin has been the musical director of The House and Garage Orchestra and in 2021 he lent his music expertise to help coordinate the live celebration Coventry Moves Together for UK City of Culture 2021, which saw the people of Coventry tuning in via radio, online, and over social media at home for a city-wide, shared music experience.

His work can be experienced in the biographical Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical at the Lyric Theatre, following the renown reggae singer’s journey from his roots in Jamaica to international stardom.

You can also currently hear Benjamin’s score on the National Theatre / Neal Street Productions play, The Motive and The Cue, directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes.

With his honed craft and remarkable range of style, Benjamin is making his mark in major film and television scoring, having just completed the original score for the forthcoming Douglas Road Productions / ITV six-part drama series Three Little Birds, written by Lenny Henry about his mother Winifred’s experiences arriving in Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation.

Composer, orchestrator, arranger and musical director Benjamin Kwasi Burrell is a jazz pianist with an eminent theatrical background. Benjamin composed & arranged the production of Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey for the National Theatre in London, and was also composer & musical director for the hit play Small Island, adapted from the book by Andrea Levy. In 2019 he was the recipient of the Musical Director Recognition Award at the inaugural Black British Theatre Awards.

Since 2019, Benjamin has been the musical director of The House and Garage Orchestra and in 2021 he lent his music expertise to help coordinate the live celebration Coventry Moves Together for UK City of Culture 2021, which saw the people of Coventry tuning in via radio, online, and over social media at home for a city-wide, shared music experience.

His work can be experienced in the biographical Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical at the Lyric Theatre, following the renown reggae singer’s journey from his roots in Jamaica to international stardom.

You can also currently hear Benjamin’s score on the National Theatre / Neal Street Productions play, The Motive and The Cue, directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes.

With his honed craft and remarkable range of style, Benjamin is making his mark in major film and television scoring, having just completed the original score for the forthcoming Douglas Road Productions / ITV six-part drama series Three Little Birds, written by Lenny Henry about his mother Winifred’s experiences arriving in Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation.

Film

2021 – Mikes House [short]
Directed by Jack Ryder
Arts Ed Films

2021 – Saving Connor [short]
Directed by Jack Ryder
Arts Ed Films

2020 – Shortcut
Directed by Alessio Liguori
Play Entertainment

2020 – Shiney [short film]
Directed by Paul Holbrook
Shunk Films /BFI

2019 – Inheritance [short film]
Directed by Gabriella Blumberg
Met Film School

2018 – Lipstick
Directed by Sydney Van Gelder
Met Film School

TV

2023 – Three Little Birds [forthcoming]
Directed by Darcia Martin, Charles McDougall, Yero Timi-Biu
Douglas Road Productions / Tiger Aspect Productions / ITV

2017 – Guerilla [additional music]
Directed by John Ridley
ABC Signature / Fifty Fathoms Productions

 

Theatre

2023 – The Motive and the Cue [Composer]
Directed by Sam Mendes
National Theatre

2021 – Get Up, Stand Up [Co-Musical Director]
The Lyric Theatre

2021 – Coventry Moves [Composer / Musical Director]
Coventry City of Culture

2020 – Dick Wittington [Musical Director / Additional Composition / Arranger]
Directed by Ned Bennett
National Theatre

2019 – Small Island [Composer / Musical Director]
Directed by Rufus Norris
National Theatre

2019 – A Taste of Honey [Composer / Musical Director]
Directed by Bijan Sheibani
The Lowry

2017 – Lady Day [Assistant Musical Director]
Directed by Lonny Price
Wyndham’s Theatre

2017- One Love [Assistant Musical Director]
Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah
Birmingham Rep

2015 – Memphis The Musical [Assistant Musical Director]
Shaftesbury Theatre

2011 – A Clockwork Orange [Assistant Musical Director]
Directed by Dawn Reid
Theatre Royal Stratford East

 

Awards

2019 – Music Director Recognition Award
Black British Theatre Awards