Sivan Eldar
The work of composer Sivan Eldar has been described as “resolutely of our time… demanding, seductive and effective” (Opera Forum), “striking in its singularity and finesse… with a unique sensitivity to dramaturgy” (Diapason), “vividly imagined” (The Boston Globe), “a form of trance” (Ôlyrix), and “a contemporary gem” (Les Inrockuptibles).
Her first opera, Like Flesh, created with writer Cordelia Lynn, director Silvia Costa, and conductor Maxime Pascal, premiered at Lille Opera in 2022, toured extensively in France, and was praised in Le Monde as an “opera of contemporary resonance without equivalence since the beginning of the 21st century.” The work won the Fedora Prize and was released on CD following a new production in Basel in 2025, which was selected as Le Monde’s top five albums of the year and received the Académie Charles Cros Critics’ Choice Award.
Her second opera, The Nine Jewelled Deer, created with Peter Sellars, Lauren Groff, Ganavya, and Julie Mehretu, premiered at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in 2025. It was hailed as “Emotionally vibrating, intimate, focused, real” by The New York Times, and continues with performances in Paris, London, and Berlin.
Eldar’s orchestral, vocal, chamber, and electroacoustic works have been presented at major festivals and concert halls including the Venice Biennale, Boston Symphony Hall, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Wien Modern, TIME:SPANS, Théâtre du Châtelet, Ultraschall, La Seine Musicale, and Pompidou Center.
She is currently at work on her third opera with Sellars, co-commissioned by the Grand Théâtre de Genève and Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, alongside a new work for choir and orchestra for the Philharmonie de Paris.
Her recent honors include Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2025), 2024 Opera America Discovery Grant, 2022–23 Rome Prize (French Academy in Rome), 2023 New Musical Talent Prize (SACD), and residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Villa Albertine, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Camargo Foundation, Fulbright Foundation, and Cité Internationale des Arts.
As an educator, Eldar has led opera and composition academies with director Ted Huffman (Opéra de Montpellier), composers Francesco Filidei and Bernhard Lang (Royaumont Voix Nouvelles), and poet Laura Vazquez (ManiFeste Academy – Ensemble Intercontemporain). Since 2025, she has served as Professor of Composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.
Eldar holds a Ph.D. in Composition and New Media Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Diploma in Computer Music from IRCAM–Centre Pompidou, where she is currently composer-in-residence. Her music is published by Durand–Universal Music Classical and represented by Karsten Witt Music Management.
This September I began a three-year visiting artist-researcher position at IRCAM with Gerard Assayag’s Musical Representations team, under the direction of Jean-Louis Giavitto. I will be working on tools related to my upcoming project with the Philharmonie de Paris, a blended intensive program linking IRCAM with Oslo, Vienna and Paris conservatories, and a new opera for Grand Théâtre de Genève. I look forward to sharing more as each takes shape.
My electroacoustic work L'eau la colonne le fer (2023), in collaboration with poet Laura Vazquez, got a facelift this summer as I remixed it for IRCAM’s Espace de Projection in high-order ambisonics. It was then performed to a wide range of audiences: at the International conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality (AES AVARIG), the Traversées du Marais Festival, and the European Heritage Days. It remains available for online binaural streaming on IRCAM’s Circus app.
Antiwords, my 2013 collaboration with Spitfire company, has travelled to Berlin, Osaka, Tokyo, Washington, New York, London, Beijing… and finally made it to Avignon Festival this summer for eight shows, where it received the Prix Lueur for best direction. The press called it “a gem of dark humor” (Un Fauteuil Pour l'Orchestre), “with a sense of rhythm and image that never falters” (M La Scene) and “a powerful physical and visual score” (Sceneweb).
This month I’ve been leading a composition workshop with three amazing soloist from Ensemble Intercontemporain: Renaud Déjardin, Valeria Kafelnikov, and Lucas Ounissi. Yesterday, five new composition were brought to life by the participants: Yifan Guo, Marta Haladzhun, Donghyuk Lee, Jasmine Morris, and Rodrigo Pascale. Congratulations to everyone for a very special concert!
I was invited to Wilmington this month to participate in the 2026 Opera America Conference. I presented The Nine Jewelled Deer, for which I was awarded the 2024 Opera America Discovery Grant , and discussed North American collaborations for my new opera The Ice Palace. I look forward to sharing more details soon!
Juries are always a good way to discover new, exciting composers, and this Spring I had the privilege of sitting on three of them: The inaugural Prix Pichon Comtesse at the Philharmonie de Paris (Festival Explore), the Camargo Foundation’s Residency Program, and the ICMC (International Computer Music Conference) in Hamburg. Congratulations to all the winning artists!
Alongside my professorship in Oslo, I continued my international teaching and mentorship activity this Spring, as a visiting artist in the composition department at Cambridge University, and as a mentor in the Adami Jazz program. A special congratulations to composer-guitarist Paul Jarret, with whom I got to work over several months through the Adami program, for receiving this year’s scholarship!
Last month, Mivos Quartet continued touring Solicitations, this time at the Wiener Konzerthaus. Ö1 will broadcast the live concert recording on its Zeit-Ton programme in June. You can listen here.
The year opened on a strong note, with the book-CD of Like Flesh being selected as one of the top five albums of 2025 by Le Monde, and as the Critics’ Choice Award from the Académie Charles Cros. Another highlight was the revival of A Woman Spilled in Basel under the baton of Elena Schwarz with the Basel Sinfonietta.
December was busy with presentations on my musical research: a three-day residency at the New Musical Aesthetics conference at the Conservatorio Alessandro Scarlatti, alongside composer Vito Zuraj and musicologist Gianluigi Mattietti, and the three-day Improtech conference at IRCAM, where I spoke about composition and improvisation in contemporary opera with researcher Jean-Louis Giavitto and RIM Augustin Muller. You can learn more here.
A new production of Like Flesh premiered last month at Interfinity Festival. Staged by Dominique Pitoiset with original video design by Luca Scarzella, this production highlighted the scientific research that went into the writing of the libretto, created for this occasion in collaboration with biologists, botanists, environmental scientists, and urban ecologists at ETH Zurich, University of Basel, and NCCR Microbiomes. The press called it “subtle, refined, compelling… a forest brought to life!” (zbb Basel). Watch a feature on Telebasel here.
I am thrilled to announce that this Fall I joined the faculty of the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo as Professor of Music Composition, where I am mentoring students in the bachelors, masters, and PhD programs. More info about the program here.
Last month I was in Salzburg working with Peter Sellars and Cordelia Lynn. Our new opera together is now officially under way! A big thank you to Grand Théâtre de Genève for supporting us, where the opera will premiere in November 2028.
After three intense years of work, The Nine Jewelled Deer was born last month at LUMA Arles, then travelled to Théâtre du Jeu de Paume as part of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. The press are calling it “Deeply affecting” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), “refined and cathartic” (Opera Wire), “mysterious and spellbinding…. Goes straight to the heart” (Le Monde), “Intense and enriching… a mastermind collaborative project” (Opera Today), “moving, immersive” (backtrack), “breathtaking” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), “Pure enchantment” (d'Lëtzebuerger Land), “A rare and powerful convergence of music, myth, and visual art” (Hube). See HERE for more reviews, videos and photos.
The book-CD of Like Flesh is out, and so are the reviews. Chosen as Album of the Week by Le Monde, Pierre Gervasoni writes: “Like Flesh is an opera of contemporary resonance without equivalent since the beginning of the 21st century”. The book (EN/FR) features newly-commissioned articles and interviews, the full libretto, and a newly mixed surround sound recording. It is available for purchase here, and on all streaming platforms. Check out this trailer and interview for more info.
Streaming of the film version of Like Flesh on medici.tv, directed by David Daurier for Camera Lucida Productions. Free streaming available here until July 21, 2022. On-demand streaming for subscribers available until July 22, 2027.
Two days of lectures and masterclasses to composition students at the Kunst Universität Graz (KUG). Hosted by professor Annesley Black.
Performance of l’eau la colonne le fer, in a new high order ambisonics mix, at the 2026 European Heritage Days. The work will be performed at IRCAM’s Espace de Projection throughout the evening, alternating with a work by Sébastien Gaxie. More info here.
Performance of l’eau la colonne le fer, in a new high order ambisonics mix, at the 2026 Les Traversées du Marais Festival. The work will be performed at IRCAM’s Espace de Projection throughout the evening, alternating with a work by Sébastien Gaxie. More info here.
Performance of the physical theatre Antiwords by Spitfire Company, for which I composed the music. Tickets available here.
Performance of the physical theatre Antiwords by Spitfire Company, for which I composed the music. Tickets available here.
Performance of the physical theatre Antiwords by Spitfire Company, for which I composed the music. Tickets available here.
Performance of the physical theatre Antiwords by Spitfire Company, for which I composed the music. Tickets available here.
Performance of the physical theatre Antiwords by Spitfire Company, for which I composed the music. Tickets available here.
Performance of the physical theatre Antiwords by Spitfire Company, for which I composed the music. Tickets available here.
Performance of the physical theatre Antiwords by Spitfire Company, for which I composed the music. Tickets available here.
Performance of the physical theatre Antiwords by Spitfire Company, for which I composed the music. Tickets available here.
Performance of l’eau la colonne le fer, in a new high order ambisonics mix, at the closing event of the 6th international AES AVARIG conference. More info here.
Premiere of five new works for solo and electronics as part of my workshop “Sonic Dramaturges”. Premiers by Yifan Guo, Marta Haladzhun, Donghyuk Lee, Jasmine Morris, and Rodrigo Pascale. Performed by soloist from Ensemble Intercontemorain Renaud Déjardin, Valeria Kafelnikov, and Lucas Ounissi. Tickets available here.
Radio broadcast of Solicitations, recorded live at the Wiener Konzerthaus by Mivos quartet. Listen online here.
Sivan Eldar is published and represented by Editions Durand / Universal Music Publishing Group and Karsten Witt Music Management. For enquiries about score hire, please contact Durand. For enquiries about commissions and other professional engagements please contact Karsten Witt.
For all other enquiries, please fill out this form: