Patrick Ellis (b. 1994, London) is a composer based in Oxfordshire, UK, who has had his music performed across Europe, North American, Asia and Australasia.
In much of his concert work, he often utilises limited musical material and explores it with the use of subtle development, repetitive structures and juxtapositions. For more of his process driven and conceptual works, he takes found material from data and statistics, translating them into musical and time based parameters. Recent works have included experiments with visuals and projections, in works such as 'Fractured Motion' (2022) and 'Objects and Portrait Projections' (2021).
He has worked with many esteemed ensembles including the Residentie Orkest, Kluster 5, Orkest de Ereprijs, Xtro Percussion, The Tantrum Saxophone Quartet, The New European Ensemble, The Spaceship Ensemble, The Hodiernal Quartet, Kirkos Ensemble, Thallein Ensemble, The Fidelio Trio, Decibel, Ensemble KROCK, 315 Ensemble, The Schubert Ensemble, CHROMA, Via Nova Choir and Noszferatu, and has collaborated with soloists such as Laura Sinnerton, Fenella Humphreys, Kathryn Williams, Alfian Emir Adytia, Chris Cresswell, Xenia Pestova, Benjamin Powell and Fumiko Miyachi.
Performances of his work have taken place at numerous festivals and concert series including, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, Festival Dag in Branding, November Music, Mittelfest and Mittelyoung Festival, De Link Tilburg, Sundays at The Hugh Lane Gallery, New Music Now NL's Dag van de Componist, Kirkos Ensemble's Biosphere Festival, Union Musicale, Spring Festival The Hague, Kammer Klang, the Frequency Series Chicago, the Malaysian Composers Series, the London New Wind Festival, Ideas of Noise Festival, the Stratford-on-Avon Music Festival, Harmos Plural Festival, The Martin Read Festival, Spread York and Frontiers Festival.
In 2022, he was the Artist in Residence for the AMPA Fontys/De Link Residency programme. Previously, he has participated in the Psappha Composing For Piano Scheme in 2019-20, as well as the 25th Edition of Orkest de Erepijs’ Young Composers Meeting and Kathryn Williams' innovative Coming Up for Air Project.
Patrick's music has been broadcasted on Dutch radio stations, NPO Radio 4, Concertzender and Stranded FM (for Gaudeamus Muziekweek), as well as US station WCNY, and has been featured on releases from Birmingham Record Company and Huddersfield Contemporary Records.
Since 2020, Patrick has been working closely with composer-performer colleague Peter Bell on a new electric guitar and modular synth duo named Open Union, working closely with composers Christine Cornwell, Wilson Leywantono, May Chi and Paolo Griffin to create new verbal and text based works, with two performances taking place, the first in June 2022, as part of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire's CODA Festival, followed by an appearance at the AMOK series at Artefact, Stirchley in January 2023.
From February 2023, he has been contributing to interviewing and writing about composers and contemporary music groups for the online Contemporary Music Blog, Prxludes, interviewing composer Ivan Vukosavljević and Pete Harden, as well as Avenue Azure.
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.
