Benjamin Velez
Benjamin Velez is an American composer and lyricist. Early life. Velez was born in Miami, Florida. 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", "Starblasters", and "Borderline". With book writer and co-lyricist Katie Hathaway, Velez developed "Afterland" at the Yale Institute for Music Theater (2014), the York Theater (2016), and as a part of several concert series in New York City, including Cutting Edge Composers and a "One  Night Stand" at Ars Nova (2018). "Starblasters" had a reading at Dixon Place in 2018. Velez wrote the score for "Borderline", an original musical created with book writer Aryanna Garber, which won the 2018 Weston Playhouse New Musical Award and opened the 2019 O’Neill National Musical Theater Conference. 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. Benjamin Velez