JUNO-nominated saxophonist, ICMA-nominated Producer of the Year, and LEO Award-winning film composer Eli Bennett is one of Canada's most celebrated and versatile emerging musicians. Returning for his eighth year as LEO AWARDS Music Director, Bennett has performed twice at the GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, shared the stage with Oscar Peterson and the Neville Brothers, opened for jazz legend Herbie Hancock, and recently opened the Juno Awards backing up Michael Bublé.

A two-time recipient of the CBC Galaxy Rising Star Award (National Jazz Awards and Ottawa International Jazz Festival), Bennett has also been honored with the Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for Music, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals, and most recently the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his contributions to Canadian music.

In 2024, he received a Covenant Award and an Inspirational Country Music Award nomination for Producer of the Year for his work on Sunday Hymn Serenade – Bring Back the Hymns, the largest hymn-based channel on YouTube with over 200 million views.

As a composer, Bennett has scored and contributed to more than thirty film and television productions - including Peabody Award – and International Emmy–winning works - earning two SOCAN Foundation Awards and a LEO Award for Best Musical Score in a Feature-Length Documentary.

The composer on over thirty film productions including feature and short films, documentaries and web series, Bennett received two SOCAN Foundation Awards and won a 2018 LEO AWARD for Best Musical Score.

Eli Bennett (Tenor saxophone), Jay Leonard (guitar), Jay Esplana (keys), Jason Nickel (bass), Jonny Holisko (Drums) (Trilojay)