Ben Cole is a freelance keyboardist, composer and arranger. Training initially to be a concert pianist, Ben has since branched out to many other genres and roles; as assistant musical director and répétiteur of numerous operas and musicals; accompanist of many genres from Schubert lieder to songs by Jason Robert Brown; a choral and orchestral conductor; jazz pianist and continuo player. Ben maintains this eclecticism in his own music, having written soundtracks for media, arrangements and descants of popular hymns and carols, choral anthems and two musicals. He has won both academic and musical scholarships from Robinson College, Cambridge.
As a composer, Ben seeks to infuse the expressive capabilities of choral and organ music into all his work and believes the best examples of film music employ both these elements to great effect. The versatility and idiosyncrasy of the organ as a solo and ensemble instrument adds colour to a soundscape that no other instrument can. With the increasing capabilities of modern orchestrations, the organ serves a unique third degree that can serve to heighten the ever-growing scope of storytelling through film and video games.
Ben's professional debut was as Musical Director and improv pianist for the summer run of the Canal Café Theatre's NewsRevue. Currently he is studying for a Master of Performance degree from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama alongside an organ scholarship at St. James' Church, Sussex Gardens. He is also Musical Director of Fermata Productions, an opera company that seeks to make the art more accessible to audiences.
Ben is also a software engineer and content creator.