Composer, Conductor & Clarinetist
Eli Parrish (b. 2001) is a composer, conductor, clarinetist, and arts advocate whose work blends contemporary creativity with orchestral tradition and community-centric leadership. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Composition at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studies with Reiko Füting as a Presidential Merit Award recipient. He previously earned a Master of Science in Arts Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition with Highest Honors from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
Eli has led performances across the United States and Europe, including appearances at Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli in Cremona, Italy, and with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra in Zlín, Czechia. His compositions span symphonic, chamber, vocal, and interdisciplinary formats, exploring environmental themes, activism, narrative, and coloristic sound.
He currently serves as Manager for the MISE-EN_PLACE contemporary music ensemble and performance space in Harlem. His previous leadership experience includes roles as Assistant Conductor of the Carroll Symphony Orchestra, Director of the Emory Young People's Concert Orchestra, Music Librarian and Manager for the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, and Operations Manager for the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival. He also founded the Emory Pep Band and was a regularly featured artist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s public engagement and educational programs.
Eli is a recipient of the Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Arts and the John and Mary Virginia Foncannon Conducting Award. He has participated in festivals such as the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, the Mostly Modern Festival, the Cremona Music Festival, the International Conductors Institute's Czech Workshop, and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. His capstone recital, The Unifying Principles of Performance and Compositional Intent, at Emory University featured seven original works performed by full symphony orchestra and mixed chamber ensembles.