On this page, Elif introduces herself in her own words, and shares links to her music, her website, and her social media platforms. We warmly invite programmers and commissioners to take a closer look at Elif's work, and please be in touch with us if you would like to connect with her.

About Elif

'I am Elif Nur Karlıdağ, a London-based Turkish-British composer working across orchestral, chamber, vocal and interdisciplinary music. My intercultural background has shaped my musical language, drawing on different musical traditions alongside contemporary classical music, experimental theatre and electronic music.

My work frequently explores themes of identity, alienation, cultural memory and marginalised voices. I am particularly interested in spatial composition, timbre and unconventional sonic possibilities, combining traditional and non-traditional instruments with electronics and exploring alternative approaches to musical notation.

Collaboration is central to my practice. Working with performers, visual artists and writers allows me to approach composition as a dialogue, where ideas develop through experimentation and the exchange of different artistic perspectives. I am especially drawn to projects that challenge conventional relationships between sound, space, performers and audiences.

Whether composing for an orchestra, creating music theatre or developing interdisciplinary performances, I aim to create music that is both exploratory and emotionally engaging, bringing different musical traditions, artistic disciplines and human experiences into conversation.'

Highlights

• Elif was selected for the London Symphony Orchestra’s 2025–26 Panufnik Composers Scheme, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Composers Programme 2026–27, where she is mentored by Sir George Benjamin. She has also been awarded a Bogliasco Fellowship for 2027 and selected for the 2026–27 NDR Ensembles Workshop in Hannover, working with composers Missy Mazzoli and Gordon Kampe.
• In 2025, her composition Such a Lovely Day / Not Such a Lovely Day, centred around the testimonies of some of the last surviving residents from the Foundling Hospital in London, was premiered by Philharmonia Orchestra musicians at the Royal Festival Hall and subsequently released by NMC Recordings.
• ⁠Her choral work Sïnglïyï ïr, written for The Carice Singers, received its premiere at the 2024 Three Choirs Festival and was subsequently shortlisted by the British Section for ISCM World New Music Days 2026.
• Elif collaborated with English National Opera on Finish This…, creating an animated children’s opera exploring climate change. Her multimedia opera The Game received its premiere at the 2024 Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival in London.

Find out more

If you are interested in finding out more about Elif, hearing and and keeping up to date with her work, take a look at her website and social media below:

• Website
• X/Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Soundcloud

Elif's RPS commission and her place on the RPS Composers programme is kindly supported by the Marchus Trust. The RPS Composers programme could not happen without the support of RPS Members, PRS Foundation Talent Development Network supported by PPL, Delius Trust, Fidelio Charitable Trust, Garrick Charitable Trust, Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, Idlewild Trust, John Ellerman Foundation, Marchus Trust, Presteigne Festival, Radcliffe Trust, RPS Susan Bradshaw Composers' Fund, RPS Thea Musgrave Fund, Vaughan Williams Foundation, and several anonymous donors.