Ellen Reid

Ellen Reid is one of the most innovative artists of her generation. A composer and sound artist whose breadth of work spans opera, sound design, film scoring, ensemble and choral writing, she was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her opera, p r i s m. Reid's orchestral work has been performed by the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, among many others.

In 2020, Reid created Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK, a GPS-enabled work of public art that reimagines urban parks as interactive soundscapes. SOUNDWALK premiered in New York's Central Park, and continues to expand to urban parkland around the world, including Los Angeles' Griffith Park, London's Regent's Park & Primrose Hill, and Tokyo's Ueno Park. An album of music written for the project, Big Majestic, was released on New Amsterdam / Eclipse Projects. Its featured performers include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Shabaka Hutchings, James McVinnie, and Lisel.

In collaboration with composer Missy Mazzoli, Reid co-founded the Luna Composition Lab. Luna Lab is a mentorship program for young female, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming composers aged 13-18, and is the only initiative of its kind in the United States.

During the 2022-2023 season, Reid served as Composer-in-Residence with New Mexico Philharmonic, and during the 2023-2024 season she was the first composer to be in residence with both Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Concert Hall and Concertgebouw Orchestra simultaneously. She also served as Contemporary Music Chair for Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. 

Reid received her BFA from Columbia College, Columbia University and her MA from California Institute of the Arts. She is inspired by music from all over the globe, and she splits her time between her two favorite cities – Los Angeles and New York.