ALL THINGS MUSICAL

​South African-born Wessel Odendaal is a modest and pensive composer and musical collaborator.

 

Wessel is a classically trained pianist, having studied under world renowned piano lecturer, Joseph Stanford.  He holds a B.Mus Degree (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria and a B.Tech Certificate in Musical Theatre from the Tshwane University of Technology.

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Musical theatre experience includes Musical Director and Vocal Coach on big international tours of Broadway musicals such as ROCK OF AGES (2017, 2019), THE LION KING (2007), CATS (2009), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (2011-2012) and JERSEY BOYS (2014), to composer, arranger and orchestrator of various original projects, including a musical adaptation of THE LITTLE PRINCE (2017) and original music for THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP (2017) and HAMLET (2020).

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Unafraid of wearing numerous musical hats across both creative and performance spheres, Wessel is equally at home behind the piano and in the recording studio, having overseen the creative development, music programming and vocal production of various cast recordings and recording projects.

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Wessel has worked with international casts and creative teams in and from Australia, New Zealand, The United Kingdom, South Korea, China, the United States and across Europe. With extensive international experience and networks, Wessel is always keen to tackle interesting new projects and to collaborate with kind creatives from around the world.

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His latest composition entitled STAR+CROSSED (2022) is a fictional work based on the life and times of Elizabeth Klarer. STAR+CROSSED premiered at the Artscape Arena Theatre in December 2022 to great critical acclaim, earning a Best New Score nomination, at the 2023 Fleur de Cap awards.

Current projects include an original score for THE JUNGLE BOOK and original music for William Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST, for a 2025 release.