elena ralli

Electronic Composition & Sound Engineering
Composer and sound engineer specializing in electronic music, interactive installations, and experimental sound design. Based in Freiburg, Germany.

About

Composer & Sound Engineer

Elena Ralli is a composer and sound engineer based in Freiburg, Germany. Currently pursuing her PhD at the German-French Graduate College Glarean, she works with electronic composition and experimental sound design. She is also a trainee (Volontärin) for sound engineering and music informatics at the SWR Experimentalstudio.

With a background in both astrophysics and music, Elena creates compositions that explore connections between science and sound, using programming and interactive technologies. Her PhD research focuses on developing compositional processes through the sonification of scientific data from astrophysics research.

Her work includes chamber pieces with electronics, large-scale installations, and sound engineering for contemporary music performances.

Elena Ralli - Composer and Sound Engineer

Programming

  • C++ – JUCE framework
  • Python
  • JavaScript, HTML, CSS
  • Max MSP
  • Pure Data
  • Arduino, Bela Board

Audio Tools

  • Reaper
  • Ableton Live
  • Cubase
  • Pro Tools
  • Live Electronics
  • Multichannel Systems

Recent Works

Dancing around SgrA*

2025 • Ensemble, Electronics & Dance

A 20-minute composition for large ensemble, electronics and dance, commissioned by Ensemble ö!. The piece is inspired by Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

Version II premiered with soprano Daniela Argentino and dancer Joey Tan
Premiere: April 5, 2025, Theater Chur, Switzerland
→ Performance Details

Ètoiles à neutrons

2025 • 6 Percussionists & Live Electronics

A work influenced by Grisey´s Le Noir de l´Etoile using obervational Data from Radiotelescopes in the compositional process.

Premiere: November 14, 2025, Wolfgang-Hofmann-Saal, Freiburg

BassPhotons

2024 • Interactive Installation

An interactive installation featuring a suspended double bass with embedded transducers, three pressure sensors, and laser radiation. Visitors can interact with light and sound in real-time, exploring the relationship between physical gesture and sonic response.

Installation: June 15-29 & September 8, 2024, Freiburg

Ursa

2024 • Bass Clarinet & 7-Channel Live Electronics

A 7-minute piece for bass clarinet and 7-channel live electronics, inspired by the constellation Ursa and using spatial audio techniques.

Premiere: January 8, 2025, HEAR, Strasbourg, France

Atropos

2022 • Dance, Percussion & 8-Channel Electronics

An 18-minute multimedia performance combining dance, percussion, and 8-channel live electronics.

Premiere: July 30, 2022, Depot.K Kunstprojekt, Freiburg

Hydra

2023 • Percussion & 4-Channel Electronics

A 6-minute composition for percussion and 4-channel live electronics, named after the constellation Hydra.

Premiere: May 22, 2023, Humboldtsaal, Freiburg

Sound Engineering Projects

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

2025 • Mark André - …selig ist…

Sound engineering for the pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard performing Mark André's latest work at the Festival Styriarte.

July 15, 2025, Graz, Austria

GrauSchumacher PianoDuo

2025 • Ming Tsao – Plus or Minus

Sound engineering for the world premiere of Ming Tsao's "Plus or Minus" at the Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik.

May 28, 2025, Witten • June 28, 2025, Berlin

Ensemble Les Metaboles

2025 • Daniel Peter Biró – At That Time

Sound engineering for the world premiere of Daniel Peter Biró's "At That Time" with Ensemble Les Metaboles.

June 18, 2025, University of Music, Bergen, Norway

Research & Publications

PhD Research

2023-2026 • Collège Doctoral Glarean

Development of compositional processes through the sonification of scientific data from astrophysics research. A collaborative project between Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and Université de Strasbourg, exploring how astronomical phenomena can inform contemporary composition.

→ Research Profile

Paul Sacher Foundation

2025 • Academic Publication

"Astronomical Signals Used as Compositional Material in Gérard Grisey's Le Noir de l'Étoile" - An article exploring the intersection of spectral music and astronomical data in the work of Gérard Grisey.

Published in Mitteilungen der Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel, Switzerland

Academic Presentations

2024 • International Conferences

Presentations at the Gesellschaft für Musikforschung Symposium in Cologne, Universidad de Chile in Santiago, and Universidad de Valparaíso in Viña del Mar, focusing on the relationship between scientific data and musical composition.

September 2024, Cologne • August 2024, Chile

Contact

Available for commissions, collaborations, and sound engineering projects.

Email

elena_ralli@yahoo.com

Location

Freiburg, Germany

Affiliations

Hochschule für Musik Freiburg
Collège Doctoral Glarean
SWR Experimentalstudio

Recordings

YouTube