Ben Foster (orchestrator)

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Ben Foster is a British composer, orchestrator and conductor who is best known for his work as an orchestrator on the BBC series Doctor Who.

[edit] Career

Studied Composition and Conducting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduating in 2000. He was awarded the Lutosławski composition prize. Also a graduate of the National Film and Television School, studying with Francis Shaw and Peter Howell.

Since November 2005, he has been orchestrator and conductor for the BBC series Doctor Who, and has collaborated with the show's composer Murray Gold on many other projects including the films Alien Autopsy, I Want Candy and most recently the Frank Oz feature Death at A Funeral

Other work as Orchestrator includes films for other composers (27 Dresses, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) as well as a number of Commercials including the recent British Airways campaign and commercials for Soundtree Music, including Sony Paint and the 2007 Sony Walkman.

In 2005 Ben re-arranged the theme tune to BBC Question Time which is currently running on BBC2.

As a composer, early professional work includes theme tunes to Love on a Saturday Night, The 1970's Office and The Great British Test Series all for LWT as well as music for a wide range of commercials.

Ben also writes music for the BBC drama Torchwood). ^[1] which was nominated in the Best Music category in the 2006 and 2007 BAFTA Cymru Awards.

He also conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Doctor Who: A Celebration, which was held at the Wales Millennium Centre on November 19, 2006 in aid of Children in Need, which was accompanied by a CD release of the Doctor Who Soundtrack, released December 11, 2006 on Silva Screen Records. ^[2] A CD of Series 3 music was released on 5th November 2007.

Ben was a judge on the Blue Peter Music Makers project in 2006, a contributor to the Blue Peter Movie Makers project in 2007 and was chair of the judging panel for BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008.

Ben has worked as an arranger and conductor for a wide range of artists including Hayley Westenra, Aled Jones, Gary Barlow, SClub7, Boyzone. He works regularly with the London Session Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and has also worked with the BBC Philharmonic, RPO and the Czech Film Orchestra.

[edit] Footnotes