Our Approach

Ben Rowley (b. Mar 27 1997) is an American composer, singer-songwriter, playwright and record producer known for his genre-crossing, medium-bending work in theater and music. A native of Glens Falls, New York, he has established himself both as a composer for musical theater — where he writes the book, music & lyrics for his shows — and as a pop-r&b singer-songwriter known for his intimate lyricism and eclectic musical influence.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997, his family settled in Glens Falls, NY in 2001. As a child, Ben attended St. Mary’s St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School (now St. Mary’s Academy) from 2003-2009, where he had his formative instruction in music and theater. He attended Queensbury Middle and High School, where he was a state-level swimmer, a member of the Queensbury Madrigal Singers, and a regular participant in the school shows. A formative experience was his participation in Lake George Youtheatre — a former summer theatre program that housed three broadway productions in four weeks every July for students ages 11-18. Ben was involved in this both as a student and staff member from 2009-2018.

Ben attended New York University, where he got a degree in Music Theory and Composition from the Steinhardt school. There, he began essential collaborations with peers both in his department and across the NYU campus. In 2017, Ben was selected by Alan Menken as a recipient of the Alan Menken Scholarship in Composition. As the music director of the NYU a cappella group the Mixtapes, he was the recipient of the ICCA Outstanding Arrangement Award at the 2018 Quarterfinal and Semifinal competitions.

As a singer-songwriter, Ben garnered a following for his independent releases on Facebook between 2016 and 2017. He publicly released his debut single Rain in 2018, which amassed over 2 million global streams upon its release.

Having graduated two months after the COVID-19 outbreak, Ben moved back upstate to reside in his hometown of Glens Falls. There he eventually found his job as the music director of St. Mary’s Church in Glens Falls, the band teacher at St. Mary’s Academy (his former school), and as a piano and voice teacher. He also served as the music director for many community theater productions.

He is the co-founder and artistic director of The Arts Academy at St. Mary’s — an arts academy serving students of all ages in music, theatre and dance in Glens Falls.

Ben’s debut musical Solstice had its first reading at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls in 2023 where it was met to two sold out audiences. In 2026, the first MainStage developmental production of the show premiered at the same theater. Upon its release, Ben was named the recipient the Wood Theater’s 2026 Visionary of the Year Award.