Patrick Ellis (b. 1994, UK) is a composer, performer and curator based in London. His music has been described as being "focused, intense and unrelenting" (Gaudeamus Jury, 2024), with much of his work utilising limited musical materials, small developments and juxtapositions.
He has worked with many acclaimed ensembles including Terra Invisus (UK), Ensemble Klang (NL), collective lovemusic (FR), XTRO Percussion (NL), the Residentie Orkest (NL), Kluster 5 (NL), Orkest de Ereprijs (NL), The Tantrum Saxophone Quartet (NL), The New European Ensemble (NL), The Spaceship Ensemble (NL), The Hodiernal Quartet (NL), Kirkos (IE), The Fidelio Trio (UK), Decibel (UK), Ensemble KROCK (SE), 315 Ensemble (US/UK) and CHROMA (UK), and has collaborated with soloists such as Laura Sinnerton (viola), Fenella Humphreys (violin), Kathryn Williams (flute), Huw Morgan (organ), Alfian Emir Adytia (cello), Dauphine Van der Velphen (saxophone), Chris Cresswell (electric guitar), Xenia Pestova Bennett (toy piano), Carson Cooman (organ), Fumiko Miyachi (piano) and Benjamin Powell (piano). Upcoming projects include a new multimedia work for the ensemble Standard Issue, as well as a long form piece for the French-Canadian cellists Laurence Gaudreau and Audréanne Filion.
Patrick's music has been presented at numerous festivals and concert series across the European, North American, Asia and Australasia, including, Gaudeamus Festival (NL), Festival Dag in de Branding (NL), November Music (NL), Rainy Days Festival (LU), Mittelfest and Mittelyoung Festival (IT), De Link Tilburg (NL), Sundays at The Hugh Lane Gallery (IE), AżTak Festival (PL), New Music Now NL's Dag van de Componist (NL), Click Fest (US), Sounding Here (NL), Kirkos Ensemble's Biosphere Festival (IE), Union Musicale (IT), Mainly Slow Organ Music (UK), Kammer Klang (UK), the Frequency Series Chicago (US), the Malaysian Composers Series (MY), the London New Wind Festival (UK), Ideas of Noise Festival (UK), the Stratford-on-Avon Music Festival (UK), Harmos Plural Festival (PT) and The Martin Read Festival (UK).
In 2024, Patrick was nominated for the Gaudeamus Award and in 2022, he was the Artist in Residence for the AMPA Fontys/De Link Residency programme in Tilburg, The Netherlands. He has also been a part of the Psappha Composing For Piano Scheme in 2019-20, the 25th Edition of Orkest de Erepijs’ Young Composers Meeting and Kathryn Williams' innovative Coming Up for Air Project.
His music has been broadcasted on Dutch radio stations, NPO Radio 4, NPO Klassiek, Concertzender and Stranded FM, as well as on the US station WCNY, and has been featured on releases from Birmingham Record Company and Huddersfield Contemporary Records.
Patrick is also the artistic director of Open Union, an electric guitar and modular synth duo with composer-performer colleague Peter Bell. Described by the treasured composer Howard Skempton as being, 'sometimes subtle and unstable; sometimes rich and dense', the duo aims to build up strong collaborative relationships to create new verbal and text based works. Their current collaborators are Christine Cornwell, Wilson Leywantono, May Chi and Paolo Griffin, with a new piece by Seán Clancy currently in the works. The duo have performed across the UK at events such as Ealing Extranormal, AMOK, Don't Mind Control, Birmingham Modular Organisation and CODA Festival. In 2025, they supported Passepartout Duo at Centrala Space, Birmingham as part of their UK Tour, and in 2023, undertook a mini tour of The Netherlands as part of the Sounding Here concert series, where they performed at Splendor in Amsterdam and Batavierhuis in Rotterdam.
Alongside composing and performing, Patrick has been the creative director since 2023, alongside the artistic director Zygmund de Somogyi, of the contemporary music magazine PRXLUDES. Together, they have interviewed and promoted over 125 composers and music organisations from the UK and abroad. Patrick's contributions have included interviews with artists Sylvia Lim, Lise Morrison, Christian Drew, Laurence Osborn, Esther Wu, Celia Swart, Mia Windsor, Patrick Giguère, Alex Groves, Bobbie-Jane Gardner, Robert Nettleship, Joanna Ward, Anna-Louise Walton, Emily Pedersen, Hugo Bell and Eden Lonsdale; plus features on Ivan Vukosavljević's debut album, 'The Burning', Avenue Azure's self-titled record, Ireland's most forward-thinking ensemble, Kirkos' ambitious work Beginner's Guide to Slow Travel, Ailís Ní Ríain's NMC release, 'The Last Time I Died', the 2023-24 National Youth Choir Young Composers, Kory Reeder's US label, Sawyer Editions, Zubin Kanga's Cyborg Soloists project and Bastard Assignments productions PIGSPIGSPIGS and HOUSE.
He holds a Masters degree in composition from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag (Royal Conservatoire of The Hague) and a Bachelor's degree from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. His principal tutors have included Martijn Padding, Guus Janssen, Andrew Hamilton, Seán Clancy, Ed Bennett, Howard Skempton and Michael Wolters.
