composition lessons

About Me

Hi! My name is Eli Tausen á Lava, and I am a composer and pianist from the Faroe Islands. I graduated with a Master of Music in Music Theory and Composition from New York University in 2024. Prior to that, I earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Malmö Academy of Music. At NYU, I had the incredible privilege of studying composition with Julia Wolfe and Michael Gordon of Bang on a Can.

Over the course of my studies and career, I have developed skills in the following subjects:

• Composition
• Orchestration
• Music theory
• Music production
• Film/TV scoring
• Video game scoring
• Artistic innovation
• And more

I have been active as a composer and performer for the last ten years, and during this time, I have gained key insights into the music industry and what it takes to create a life as a musician.

As a performer, I have had the great joy of performing my music at venues such as The Cutting Room and Scandinavia House in New York City. As a composer, my work has been performed by orchestras and ensembles around the world, including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, and Aldubáran.

Instructions

Lessons take place on Wednesdays and Fridays between 16:00 and 19:00 WEST (UTC+1). Please make sure to account for the time difference between my time zone and yours. Sessions are 50 minutes long and take place weekly. If you are located in the Faroe Islands, we can either meet at my Tórshavn residence or on Google Meet. If you are located abroad, we will use Google Meet.

After selecting a time slot by clicking "Schedule Your Time", I will reach out to you directly with details and, if applicable, to schedule our future sessions. Please allow up to two business days for me to get in touch.

Lessons are one-on-one and are personalized to your goals. If you want to hone your craft as a composer or songwriter, I can help you with that. If you want to get into music production and releasing your own music, I’m your guy. If you want coaching sessions on how to build a career in music, you’ve come to the right place.

All you need to schedule a lesson is an internet connection and a way to make music and share it with me — this could be playing an instrument and recording it in your Voice Memos, using a notation program like Sibelius or Dorico, using a DAW like Logic Pro or Ableton Live, or even something else entirely. As long as you can make music and show me, we’ll be good to go.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you, and I’m excited to work together!