ELENA KATS-CHERNIN

Australia’s Most Talented and Relevent Modern Composer

L I F E & C A R E E R
Elena Kats-Chernin was born in 1957 in Tashkent Uzbekistan. She trained there
with the Gnessin Musical College before she immigrated to Australia in 1955.
Living in Australia, she studied under many prestigious teachers in many
famous schools including the NSW Conservatorium of Music. In 1980 she was
awarded a grant to study abroad in Germany, where she stayed for 13 years
before moving back to Australia.

She is a renowned and well known composer, having composed pieces of

almost every classical genre. Her pieces have been used for examinations,
broadcast across the globe, premiered by prestigious orchestras, and even
danced to in ballets and other productions.

She has had many works commissioned by orchestra’s of the calibre of Sydney
Symphony Orchestra, the Australian World Orchestra, Australian Chamber
Orchestra, as well as many other professional orchestras, in Australia and
abroad.

She has been named an officer of the Order of Australia for her notable
service to the music and arts community in Australia, as well as winning
awards such as the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award and the Sydney
Theatre Award’s Best Score or Sound Design in a Mainstage Production.

A B O U T H E R M U S I C

Elena Kats Chernin composes for a wide variety of
instruments and ensembles, and often arranges her pieces
for other instruments as well, to make her work more
relevent and easier to access.
Her compositions are for solo instrument (including the
viola, trumpet and saxophone - very rarely composed for),
as well as symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, theatre,
ballet and a variety of chamber ensemble pieces. She
arranged her piece ‘Eliza Aria’ for viola and piano, and it is
easily one of the most beautiful pieces I have heard
performed. The delicate viola melody over the soft chime of
the piano creates a seamless blend of sound, and is a treat
to listen to and play.
Her music has been played by a variety of orchestras,
AND has been played at the opening ceremony for the
Olympic Games, and the Rugby World Cup.
The influences of many different styles and genres of music
on Elena Kats-Chernin’s music is clear by the sheer variety
of styles in the music she composes. From dance styles like
tango, walz or ragtime, to more classical styles, such as
baroque or romantic, it is clear that she draws her
inspiration from a large pool of themes.
She draws inspiration from Eastern European styles and
composers, but what sets her apart is that all of her work is
undeniably unique, and hers.
Elena Kats-Chernin stands above majority of modern
composers because of her unique style and ability to create
beautiful and cohesive music for nearly every instrument.
As a violist, I appreciate her recognition of the rarer
instruments, and love playing her pieces.

Elena Kats-Chernin and her music are ever evolving, and she has stated before that she will continue to tweak her pieces.
"Sometimes I think that while I’m still alive I can still always make my pieces better."
Her continued dedication to her craft has meant that her music is always new and continues to be popular with all ages. Her
training as a pianist has also helped mould the way she plays and composes. She says on improvisation “The brain doesn’t
improvise, the brain thinks. Sometimes by chance your fingers hit a note that the brain just wouldn’t do.”

Elena Kats-Chernin and her work have influenced an entire new generation of modern composers, and will continue to be
relevent well into the future.

L E X I L A M B