Conductor, Composer, & Clarinetist
Eli Parrish (b. 2001) is a composer, conductor, and clarinetist whose work spans original compositions, contemporary premieres, and standard orchestral repertoire. He has performed across the U.S. and Europe, conducting in venues such as Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli (Cremona, Italy) and the University of the South’s Guerry Hall (Sewanee, TN). His compositions for symphony orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber, and solo instruments explore the intersections of environmentalism, activism, storytelling, and sound-to-color.
Eli recently completed his undergraduate studies at Emory University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition with Highest Honors. During his time at Emory, he served as principal clarinetist with the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, directed the Emory Young People's Concert Orchestra, and founded the Emory Pep Band. His honors project, The Unifying Principles of Performance and Compositional Intent, received multiple awards, including the John H. Gordon Stipe Society Fellowship and the Katherine Blumenthal Award.
Currently, Eli is the Music Librarian for the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, where he manages orchestral logistics, including preparing parts and coordinating with string principals. In the summer of 2024, he attended the Zlín International Conducting Institute in the Czech Republic, where he conducted the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, Eli served as Assistant Conductor for the Carroll Symphony Orchestra, conducting original compositions and standard repertoire, while managing the orchestra’s social media presence.
Eli has participated in festivals such as the Darmstadt Summer Course (2023) and the Mostly Modern Festival (2024), where his brass quintet was premiered by the Atlantic Brass Quintet. He is a recipient of the Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Arts and the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation’s John and Mary Virginia Foncannon Conducting Award.