Ellis Ludwig-Leone
Biography Ellis Ludwig-Leone
Ellis Ludwig-Leone
Influenced by a lifelong love of storytelling and myth, Ellis Ludwig-Leone (b. 1989) writes music that is distinguished by its narrative sweep and attention to subtle changes in emotional valence. Lauded by The New Yorker’s Jia Tolentino for his “knack for simultaneously expressing beauty and crisis,” Ludwig-Leone writes works that combine lush, naturalistic textures with moments of thorny complexity to walk the line between joy and dread.
Since coming to international attention as the songwriter behind the celebrated indie band San Fermin—with whom he has released five records, three EPs, and two live albums while touring extensively—Ludwig-Leone has spent the greater part of the last decade composing works for the concert hall and stage.
False We Hope, a song cycle and string quartet written for Attacca Quartet and vocalist Eliza Bagg, arrived in 2023 via Better Company Records. Described as “a thought provoking journey across a strange and extraordinary soundscape” (OperaWire), False We Hope has had recent performances at Big Ears Festival, Birds of Paradise Festival, Við Djúpið Music Festival, and more. 2023 also saw the premiere of The Night Falls, a dance-opera with music by Ludwig-Leone, a libretto by Ludwig-Leone and Karen Russell (Swamplandia!), and direction and choreography by Troy Schumacher (New York City Ballet), at PEAK Performances at Montclair State University. Praised for Ludwig-Leone’s “ingenious, gorgeous score” (The New Yorker), The Night Falls was named one of The New York Times’ Best Dance Performances of 2023.
Ludwig-Leone has composed for a wide range of ensembles and soloists, including ACME, ADAM Quartet, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Attacca Quartet, BalletCollective, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, The Crossing, Decoda, Grand Rapids Ballet, Het Gelders Orkest, Indianapolis Symphony, International Contemporary Ensemble, JACK Quartet, NOW Ensemble, The Knights, New York City Ballet, Orchester im Treppenhaus, Sandbox Percussion, yarn/wire, vocalist Eliza Bagg, harpist Lavinia Meijer, violist Nadia Sirota, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, and more. Ludwig-Leone has been the composer-in-residence for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and is a recipient of residencies from MacDowell, Yaddo, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. His concert works have been recorded for Sony Classical, New Amsterdam, and Better Company Records.
His latest recording, Past Life/Lifeline, an EP featuring new chamber works for Lavinia Meijer, Nadia Sirota, Sandbox Percussion, and Eliza Bagg, arrives via Better Company Records on December 6th, 2024.
