Biography

Ed Zanders is a London based composer and musical director. He studied classical composition at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, under Malcolm Singer.

He is currently a deputy keyboard player on Les Misérables (Sondheim) and Operation Mincemeat (Fortune). He played rehearsal piano, and deputised both keyboard chairs, for Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends (Gielgud) and played keys 1 on the 2022 Taiwan tour of Cats. He orchestrated the 2022 Hope Mill Theatre's revival of Passion by Stephen Sondheim, starring Ruthie Henshall. The Times said "the scaled-down arrangements for just five musicians are a fine match for such an intimate venue". In 2023 he re-orchestrated and music directed the first French language production of Pippin in Switzerland.

Ed also improvises, most often with Mischief Theatre in their Olivier award nominated show Mischief Movie Night. He has played with them on tour around the UK and in the West End as well as for their online run Mischief Movie Night In. He wrote the music for Mischief's Charlie Russell Aims to Please for its sold out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022.

Ed has also acted, performing in Calum Finlay's Piano_play in 2019 at the Other Palace, and Underbelly (Edinburgh Fringe). For his solo performance, he won theatre weekly's 'Best Musical Performance at the Fringe Award'.

His most recent musical, Bluff, written with Matt Cavendish, was recorded with a full cast and orchestra in spring 2021.

Ed has also worked at various drama schools, including ArtsEd, Italia Conti and most regularly at the Guildford School of Acting, where he wrote music for productions of Treasure Island and Babe.