Benjamin Martin (b.1998) is a composer, singer, and musical collaborator based in Chicago, IL. While interested in all manner of expressive media, his love of the human voice, the written word, and musical storytelling is often at the center of his compositional orbit.

Martin’s works have been performed by a number of ensembles throughout the country, including the Grossman Ensemble, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Fellows, NEXUS Chamber Music, TAK Ensemble, Blackbox New Music, Lake Forest College choir and orchestra, and Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra, among others. His work has also been featured at a number of summer festivals, including New Music on the Point, VIVO Music Columbus (as the winner of the 2021 VIVO Innovation Grant), Brevard Summer Music festival, the EAMA Institute in Paris, and the Cortona Sessions for New Music.

Recently, Benjamin was the recipient of a 2025 BMI Composer Award for his piece Unfurling Dances, written for the Grossman Ensemble. In addition, his piece was selected as part of an inaugural partnership with the American Composers Orchestra to be performed in a 2026 ACO EarShot Reading.

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 is an active professional chorister, singing regularly with choirs specializing in new music, including Stare at the Sun in Chicago and Roots in the Sky in Montana.

Benjamin received a BM from Oberlin Conservatory in Composition with a minor in Vocal Performance. While attending, he was the recipient of the 2022 Walter E. Aschaffenburg prize in Composition. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Chicago, where he studies with Augusta Read Thomas.

Artist Statement

As a perpetual theater kid and active singer, storytelling and human connection through music have always been at the heart of what I do. I believe shared stories (in the form of poems, music, plays, or all at once!) are instruments of community and empathy during a time when both seem increasingly scant. I love getting to meet new artists, learn from them, understand what makes them tick, and write music specifically for (and with) them that uplifts and affirms their artistic souls.

I believe composition, more than any other art form, is contingent upon the labor, goodwill, and expertise of people outside oneself, and I strive to cultivate collaborative experiences wherein every member feels like an important and respected contributor. In short, my goal as a collaborator is to be people-and-process-oriented rather than product-oriented. I feel deeply that music is a fundamental human right, and have seen the ways it’s been a force of healing and empowerment for myself and the people in my life.

(Pre-concert introductions with LaRob K. Rafael for the ACO Earshot Readings)