ANDRAS ELLENDERSEN
Andras Jucksch Ellendersen (born 1996) is a Brazilian–Faroese composer whose work reflects questions of identity, meaning and belonging, shaped by both Northern European and South American heritage as well as his parallel academic background in Cultural Anthropology. Drawing from contemporary classical music, sacred music traditions, progressive rock and experimental practices, his work is marked by a stylistically open approach that balances structural rigor with atmosphere, gesture and sonic texture.
His music has been premiered in Brazil, the Faroe Islands, Denmark, Poland and Germany, with performances by ensembles including Camerata Antiqua de Curitiba (BR), Kwartludium (PL), Aldubáran (FO) and Det Fynske Kammerkor (DK). In 2023 he received a prize at the KORAL23 Composition Competition in Denmark for the choral work Den blinde, røde orm, based on a poem by William Heinesen. Other recent works include Meditationes sacræ and Geystlich Gesangk, inspired by Lutheran devotional and liturgical traditions, and Stemning for mixed choir and string orchestra, premiered in 2026 by the Camerata Antiqua de Curitiba and influenced by the philosophical writings of Søren Kierkegaard.
As a member of the Gregorian chant ensemble Cantus Libere (2018–19), he studied Latin phonetics, Gregorian palaeography and semiology with scholar Paulo Valente. His musical training includes piano studies with Davi Sartori and Olga Kiun, and composition studies with Samuel Andreyev, Harry Crowl, Svend Hvidtfelt Nielsen and Sunleif Rasmussen. In 2024 he completed a professional mentorship with composer Lil Lacy focused on artistic leadership and career development.
Ellendersen is the initiator and artistic leader of EKKÓ – Kwartludium Performs Faroese New Music, an international collaboration project dedicated to Faroese contemporary music. He also coordinates the concert series Música na Igrejinha at the Lutheran church Igreja de Cristo in Curitiba, where he serves as organist and acting president (2026–2027).
Alongside his contemporary classical output, he produces rock and pop music under the pen name Andras Atlason. His releases include the solo album Atlantis (Tutl Records, 2022), the piano album Ut (2011) and recordings with the progressive rock duo Da Zai alongside Japanese guitarist Tatsuro Murakami. His music has also received international online attention, including a prize-winning arrangement in a worldwide competition promoted by Mastodon.
Besides composing, Ellendersen works as a visual artist, arranger, producer, educator and performer. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sound Creation at the Universidade Federal do Paraná, where his research explores musical aesthetics through the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard.