Bio
Elizabeth Foster Comninellis (b. 1986) is a composer, singer, and pianist. She completed her doctorate in music composition at the University of Texas at Austin in 2017. She holds a master's degree in music composition from the University of Colorado- Boulder, and a bachelor's degree in music composition, with an emphasis in vocal and piano performance, from the University of Missouri- Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. She has studied under acclaimed composers Yevgeniy Sharlat, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Paul Rudy and Carter Pan.
In 2020 Dr. Comninellis accepted a residency with the Tallgrass Institute, an artistic community that fosters artist works inspired by the natural beauty of the Great Plains in the United States.
Comninellis is the composer-in-residence for the Boulder Symphony Orchestra. Her most recent work, Fire and Glass, was premiered by the ensemble in December 2019. The ensemble also commissioned and premiered her symphonic works, Rose Deep, featuring Comninellis as vocal soloist, in November 2017, and As Lightning Flashes in April 2017. She has been commissioned by a number of new music initiatives, recently The Arapahoe Philharmonic for their December 2018 holiday concert and The Beerthoven Concert Series for its spring 2018 season. Comninellis was also commissioned in 2016 by Tetractys New Music, for which she wrote Lady Wisdom and Solomon. Her piece, White Birds, for clarinet and electronics, was presented at the 2015 New York Electroacoustic Music Festival. Her percussion trio, Bringing in the Boat, was chosen for the Women Composers of Hartford's 2015 international score call. She was awarded the Levy Graduate Composition Prize for her chamber work, Flight, in 2011, and was a recipient of the Kent Kennan Fellowship for music composition at the University of Texas at Austin from 2013 to 2017.
Elizabeth primarily writes large chamber works, many of which have theatrical and narrative components. She seeks out collaborative projects with other artists from all fields: media, film, dance, theater. Many of her ideas are drawn from literature, visual art, film, dance, and personal faith. Most recently she undertook a collaboration with pianist and juggler, Mathilde LeGrand to compose several pieces that combine the two skills. These collaborations were featured by Quest Track Radio in Normandy, France in August 2017. In addition, Elizabeth regularly writes for film and documentary, including films produced by her brother, Joshua Comninellis. Their most recent collaboration, Wildorado, premiered in early 2020.
Dr. Comninellis is an active educator and performer. She was the professor of record at The University of Colorado, Boulder for two sections of aural theory from 2010-2011. She currently teaches upper elementary music at The Amreican School of Kuwait, where she places strong emphasis on the Kodaly and Dalcroze teaching methods. In addition, Elizabeth has maintained a private music studio for over 14 years teaching piano, voice, composition and music theory. She regularly composes and arranges pieces for her students to perform, as well for group classes and summer camp programs. She was recently commissioned by the NESAQ Music Conference to compose and conduct a new choral work for their festival in Beirut, Lebanon in March 2020.
Elizabeth currently resides and teaches in Kuwait with her husband and the love of her life, Rob Foster and their cat, Lily.