Elena Kats-Chernin

Oil on Canvas

Elena Kats-Chernin is one of Australia’s most beloved composers, and her music resonates with an audience of enormous diversity.
As a person, Elena is vivacious and exudes energy and colour, yet much of her music has a melancholy and sadness that is quite beautiful.
The music in the background of the portrait comes from Elena’s handwritten scores. In a world filled with fast-paced technology, it seemed so delightful to me that her musical scores are still handwritten without the aid of technology and then painstakingly copied and orchestrated. Some scores have even come to fruition on paper serviettes while waiting in cafes.