Isaias Elpes

Isaías Elpes is an award-winning composer, music director, and multi-instrumentalist from Brazil, based in Los Angeles. Known for his cinematic writing and versatility, Elpes gained international recognition after winning the grand prize on bass in Lee Ritenour’s Six String Theory Contest (2016) with one of his original compositions. Since then, his work has spanned global tours, Grammy-winning recordings, and original film scores. He arranged and performed on Gloria Estefan’s 2021 album BRAZIL305, including the Grammy-winning track Quando Hay Amor, and now serves as Pia Toscano’s music director, overseeing arrangements and orchestration for her solo shows. As a composer, Elpes recently scored the feature film Malucos Contra o Ladrão de Sonhos, which premiered in Brazil in July 2025. His music has also appeared in the Globoplay series Todas as Flores, the Brazilian book trailer Os Continentes de Dentro, and the short film MANIFESTO, with additional placements on CBS’s Zoo and USA Network’s Rush. Celebrated for his fluidity across genres, Elpes has performed live and in studio with Sergio Mendes, Gloria Estefan, Tiago Iorc, Jorge Drexler, Mateus Asato (tour and recording of his debut album), Pia Toscano, Dave Grusin, Brian McKnight, Marcos Valle, and Lee Ritenour. In his solo work, Elpes draws on his classical training and Brazilian roots, crafting instrumentals that flow between jazz, classical, and world music.