“When the pulse of Torben Sylvest’s music begins to change, a spirit of rebellion stirs.”
Judith Mackrell
Torben Sylvest is a music producer and composer creating original scores for dance theatre and film.
Torben’s unique musical voice grows out of his passion for building worlds. By collaborating with artists with important things to say and sensitively crafting scores he helps to develop and facilitate urgent narratives.
Self-taught during his teens, Torben left his home town of Andover at 19 and moved to South London, where he began to involve himself in the local dance community. He is now a leading figure in UK hip-hop dance theatre with internationally touring works and a list of collaborators that include some of the most exciting choreographers and companies working in dance today such as: Scottish Dance Theatre, National Youth Dance Company, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Ivan Michael Blackstock, James Cousins, Kwame Asajo-Adjei, Matthew Robinson (National Dance Company Wales).
Torben has scored extensively for Botis Seva, whose collaboration ‘BLKDOG’ won the 2019 Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production. He also worked with Botis Seva to produce a number of short films including the award-winning ‘CAN’T KILL US ALL’, commissioned for the BBC and Art Council England’s Culture in Quarantine programme (2020).
Most recently, his collaboration with Ivan Michael Blackstock won the 2023 Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.
Torben has worked with a number of up-and-coming London-based vocal artists, producing the break out single ‘Creeping’ for the critically acclaimed Obongjayar.