Benjamin Costello MA PGDip BMus FRSA

Ben is a London-based musician working throughout the UK as a musical director, singing coach, choral director, accompanist and arranger. A highly versatile performer, he works in very diverse genres ranging from the Renaissance period to contemporary music, but principally musical theatre, and to date he has been musical director on over forty-five productions across the UK.

In addition to extended periods as a music staff member at the renowned Arts Educational Schools, London, and the London College of Music, Ben has coached extensively in the Further and Higher Education sectors for colleges including Mountview Academy, GSA Conservatoire, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, the Royal Academy of Music, the University of London and Kingston University, London.

An experienced singing coach, he maintains a busy private practice, with many of his current and former students pursuing successful careers in the West End and beyond. He continues to work with a variety of singers and instrumentalists, and since 1998 has been accompanist to the distinguished international soprano soloist Alison Pearce, giving recitals and masterclasses together across the UK and in Europe.

Born in London in 1976, Ben read Music to postgraduate level at both Kingston University and the London College of Music. In 2006 he was elected Chairman of Kingston Arts Council, the umbrella group for artistic organisations and individuals within the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. He has also worked as an external examiner and adjudicator.

In 2008, after ten years working as a freelance musician, he was appointed Deputy Director of Music at Shrewsbury House School, Surbiton, in addition to his existing responsibilities there as singing tutor and staff accompanist. He is a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Musicians' Union and the Performing Right Society.

Forthcoming Events

Singers' Masterclasses in Tuscany
Summer 2008

Ben will be coaching on an international summer school for singers at Sillico di Castelnuovo Garfagnana-Lucca, Italy, from 12th July to 17th July 2008.
This idyllic Italian retreat is a tiny jewel of a mediaeval village situated high in the mountains in warm, fresh air, surrounded by stunning views, and the atmosphere there is conducive to concentrated study.
The course director is Alison Pearce, an international soprano soloist and professor at the Royal Academy of Music. Further information and application forms are available from
divapearce@hotmail.com