Elena Kats-Chernin

Elena Kats-Chernin AO's vibrant and distinctive music across all genres has reached millions worldwide, featuring at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, 2003 Rugby World Cup, 2018 Commonwealth Games and on cinema screens across the globe. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, her accolades include as Officer of the Order of Australia, Helpmann, Limelight, Sounds Australian and Sydney Theatre Awards, Australian Women in Music and the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award. Published by Boosey & Hawkes, Kats-Chernin has written for ballet, opera and theatre, and is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Komische Oper Berlin, Deutsche Kammerorchester Berlin, City of London Sinfonia, BBC Orchestra, and in festivals worldwide. Her opera, WHITELEY, for Opera Australia, was nominated in the 2020 International Opera Awards for ‘Best new opera’.; Eliza Aria from Meryl Tankard’s ballet, Wild Swans, was made famous by British bank Lloyds TSB; Russian Rag, in claymation film Mary and Max. Kats-Chernin composed the score for Oscar-winning director Adam Elliott's full-length claymation film "Memoir of a Snail", official nomination in the 97th Academy Awards and 82nd Annual Golden Globes. Recording for Deutsche Grammophon, Universal Music, ABC Classics and more, her latest collaboration with pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska, Ancient Letters (ABC Classic), is nominated for a 2026 ARIA Award for 'Best Classical Album'. Her upcoming opera of Wim Wenders' iconic film, Wings of Desire, premieres in 2028.