HOLLYWOOD COMPOSER BENSON TAYLOR & BUSINESS TYCOON GRAHAM LESLIE’S CHRISTMAS MUSIC PLAYED IN THE HISTORIC PALAZZO VECCHIO, IN FLORENCE, ITALY.

The Mayor of the home of the renaissance himself, Dario Nardella, picked up his violin and joined the orchestra.

EVER WONDERED HOW A YOUNG CHAP FROM BRITAIN, VIA HOLLYWOOD, ENDED UP WRITING MUSIC TO BE PERFORMED IN THE WORLD-FAMOUS PALAZZO VECCHIO, HOME OF THE MEDICI FAMILY?

It’s been 1 year since Benson Taylor decided to land in Italy, in the middle of a pandemic, scratch that - in the MIDDLE of a lock down! For much of his time on the sunny peninsula he’s extracted the beauty of the Tuscan countryside to inspire him as he scribbles the musical notes for his next Hollywood flick. But after a chance meeting with Jane Adams, Benson’s Italian adventure has also been a blessing to the cultural home of the Renaissance, Florence.

On Friday 15th December Benson Taylor’s music entertained the crowds in Florence, with a gift to the city itself - a debut performance of Travelling Home for Christmas, a piece penned by business tycoon and philanthropist Graham Leslie CBE & the award- winning composer.

The music was played for special Christmas event, where the Mayor wished the citizens of Florence and Tuscany a very Merry Christmas after another difficult year of Covid restrictions. It was an emotional occasion as the ReMuTo Tuscany youth orchestra played to an socially distanced audience, including a new composition by British composer Benson Taylor.

"It’s really special to be a part of a celebration in this building where the Medici once ruled, we're literally in their living room.”

The Mayor of the home of the renaissance himself, Dario Nardella, picked up his violin and joined the orchestra, playing the solo line of the Christmassy piece and filling the space of the Salone Dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio with Holiday spirit.

Benson Taylor is a Hollywood film composer & music producer hailing from the UK & LA, with box office projects grossing over 1 billion dollars.

David Bowie’s publishing company signed Benson in his early twenties, and he has since carved out an incredible career writing music for cinema. He is an alumnus of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Benson yields many accolades, he scored and produced the music to the 2018 adaptation of Martin Amis novel, London Fields, directed by Mathew Cullen. London Fields was selected in the Special Presentations at the Toronto International Film Festival and stars Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, and Johnny Depp. In the past 12 months, during various lockdowns, Benson Taylor has completed a new Amazon Original film, Chick Fight, starring Bella Thorne, Malin Akerman & Alec Baldwin.

His music is heard in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, Suits, Grey’s Anatomy, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and the most-tweeted-about show ever - 13 Reasons Why. Video games include CSI: New York and Football Manager.

In 2017 he founded A Remarkable Idea, a label in collaboration with Universal Music Group. Collaborating artists include Robot Koch, MOBO-winning Kairos 4tet, Mercury Prize-nominated Bloc Party, Billy Martin (Good Charlotte), Maxïmo Park & Pulled Apart By Horses. He has co written and produced records for Bat For Lashes, GRAMMY Award Winning CeeLo Green, The New Mastersounds, Lower Dens, and Meshell Ndegeocello.