Jordan Li-Smith

Jordan Li-Smith is an award-winning musical director, conductor, writer and composer/lyricist. He made his West End debut conducting the Donmar Warehouse revival of City of Angels. His musical direction has been hailed as “impeccable” (The Stage), and once been described that he conducts “with a ferocity, an impassioned clarity, that reminds one of Leonard Bernstein” (Live Theatre UK).
He currently music supervises the development of the hit cult musical, Starry, based on the life of Vincent Van Gogh. His next project will be music supervising and directing the new musical, Berlusconi, at Southwark Playhouse in March 2023.
Off-West End, he received Off-West End awards for his musical direction of Ragtime (Charing Cross) and Michael John LaChuisa’s Queen of the Mist (Jack Studio/Charing Cross), and also music directed and/or supervised The Lion, Dave Malloy’s Preludes, Through The Mill (Southwark Playhouse), the UK premiere of Amour (Charing Cross, +orchestrations), Kirsten Childs’ The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Anything Goes, Some Lovers (The Other Palace), Spring Awakening (Stockwell Playhouse). He is a guest conductor of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra. His musical direction can be heard on the Original London Cast Recording of Queen of the Mist, which he conducted.
Regionally, he received a BroadwayWorld UK Award for the new British musical The Assassination of Katie Hopkins (Theatr Clwyd), and other credits include Chess (Leicester Curve), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Manchester Cathedral), One Man Two Guvnors (Bolton Octagon/UK Tour). He is an in-demand music director for many of the leading drama colleges of the UK, productions including A Little Night Music, Les Misérables (Mountview), Merrily We Roll Along (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Arts Ed), Amour, Next to Normal (Royal Academy of Music), Bring It On (Bird College), Sweet Charity (Urdang), The Addams Family (Chichester University), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Guildford School of Acting), Grand Hotel and Once On This Island (Momentum Performing Arts Academy).
Recently, he was Children’s Casting Musical Director for the motion picture, Rocketman, in which he also starred with a featured cameo.
He’ll be making his debut as a writer and composer in August 2023 with his new musical, The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair, based on the novel by Lara Williamson. His song ‘Better Day’ was featured as part of On Hope: A Digital Song Cycle. It was subsequently chosen as a winner of The Drama League’s Anthems for the Future of Theater competition, and was performed by Broadway star Bonnie Milligan in Light the Lights! A Drama League Celebration in New York, in honour of Broadway actor Wayne Brady.

Jordan is an accomplished cabaret pianist and performer, making his own debut with his cabaret Songs I Wish I Had Written at Bishopsgate Institute. He has created and accompanied cabarets for Keith Ramsey in Miss ShowBusiness: 100 Years of Judy Garland at Phoenix Arts Club, as well as Lucy Penrose in Judy and I and fashion designer Malan Breton in Me and My Shadow at Crazy Coqs.
Jordan studied at the Royal Academy of Music, supported by the Sir Elton John Scholarship and Help Musicians UK. He is based in Berkshire and London.
Twitter & Instagram: @jordanli_smith www.jordanli-smith.com