Composer, Conductor & Clarinetist
Eli Parrish (b. 2001) is a composer, conductor, and clarinetist based in New York City. 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 Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition with Highest Honors from Emory University.
Eli's music has been performed and commissioned by contemporary performers and ensembles, including Eighth Blackbird and musicians at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. His works span orchestral, chamber, wind ensemble, and interdisciplinary formats, exploring themes of environmentalism, storytelling, activism, and coloristic sound.
He is a Conducting Fellow and Orchestral Manager with the Queer Urban Orchestra and serves as Assistant Conductor of the Empire City Arts Orchestra and Performing Ensembles. He has led performances throughout the United States and Europe, including appearances at Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli in Cremona, Italy, and with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra in Zlín, Czechia.
Beyond the podium, Eli serves as Manager of MISE-EN_PLACE, a contemporary music ensemble and performance space in Harlem. He is a recipient of the Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Arts, the John and Mary Virginia Foncannon Conducting Award, and the Halle Foundation Award, and has participated in programs including the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Berlin Transatlantic Composers Workshop, Cortona Sessions, and Mostly Modern Festival.