About
Benjamin Martin (he/they) (b.1998) is a composer, singer, and musical collaborator based in Chicago, IL. Benjamin takes great joy in writing bespoke works which serve to illuminate and amplify the unique gifts of a wide array of individual artists. While interested in all manner of expressive media, their love of the human voice and the written word is often at the center of their compositional orbit.
Martin’s works have been commissioned and premiered by the VIVO Music Festival, the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra, the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, and University Theatre at the University of Chicago. They were also the recipient of the 2021 VIVO Innovation Grant. They have composed for New Music on the Point, Brevard Summer Music festival, the EAMA Institute in Paris, and the Cortona Sessions for New Music.
Passionate about bringing new works to life, Benjamin has also served as the assistant conductor for Oberlin Opera Theater’s productions of Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up and Rachel Peters’ Wild Beast of the Bungalow, with libretti by Royce Vavrek. Most recently, Benjamin returned to Oberlin and Opera Columbus as principal conductor for the world premiere of Melissa Dunphy and Jacqueline Goldfinger’s opera Alice Tierney.
Benjamin received a BM from Oberlin Conservatory in Composition with a minor in Vocal Performance. While attending, they were the recipient of the 2022 Walter E. Aschaffenburg prize in Composition. They are currently pursuing their PhD at the University of Chicago, where they study with Augusta Read Thomas.