
Raised amid crashing waves, howling winds, and the raw forces of nature, Eli Tausen á Lava channels the quiet fortitude of the landscapes that formed him. As a child in the Faroe Islands, he learned to cherish the silence between the storms — the whisper of the draft at the window, the crackle of the fireplace, the sound of his grandmother’s hum. These intimate moments became the heartbeat of his music.
His compositions reflect an ocean of memory, each piece a meditation on what it means to feel connected to a place, a moment, a person. His debut album, Impressions (2020), was born in the shadow of the pandemic — a response to fear, isolation, and the search for a path back to life as he knew it. In his second album, In a Field (2022), he reached back to his childhood and early adulthood, capturing fleeting moments like fireflies in a jar.
To pursue his dreams, he left Tórshavn, the town at the edge of the world, and moved to the city at the center of it all: New York. A rich tapestry of musical, cultural, and personal experiences awaited. He absorbed all the city had to offer, seizing every opportunity to witness his inspirations on stage, and immersing himself in the art of composition under the guidance of some of the most prominent composers of the Downtown music scene. However, after a few years in New York, a deep, innate longing awakened — a longing for violent seas, steep cliffs, and starry skies.
Eli Tausen á Lava - Worklist
| Title | Instrument | Year | Duration | Publisher | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| álvan | fl, cl(bcl), bsn, pno, crot, mar, 2vln, vla, vlc, cb | 2024 | 7' 30" | manus | https://www.youtube.com/live/aykgGWzL_I4?si=Hn59WSAkuZ-zSEUH&t=3690 (01:01:30) |
| sólarris | 3.3.3.3, 4.2.3.1, timp, 4perc, cel, hp, str | 2024 | 7' | manus | |
| gullregn | vlc, pno | 2023 | 4' 15" | manus | |
| mykines | fl(picc), cl, asax(ssax), bsn, hn, 2tpt, gtr, pno, 2vln, vla, vlc | 2023 | 16' 30" | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/mykines |
| heit tár fullu... | ssax, asax, tsax, barsax | 2023 | 9' 30" | manus | https://www.youtube.com/live/AANC6j0EezM?si=w-P8APyV2OhsLQ1A&t=1460 (24:20) |
| múrurin | 2vln, vla, vlc | 2023 | 7' 45" | manus | https://www.youtube.com/live/K9lt8pnNmzc?si=N4IYNfYePy594xMu&t=5085 (01:24:45) |
| 200 km/t á oyggjarvegnum | org | 2023 | 7' 15" | manus | |
| let me cry | 2.2.2.2, 4.2.3.1, timp, 1perc, str | 2022 | 11' | manus | |
| glaciers | pno, elec | 2022 | 6' 15" | manus | https://open.spotify.com/track/6DkiTpCfK4Hrn76CjtfuZa |
| garden of eden | pno, elec/pno | 2022 | 3' | manus/Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/6xyPt5QM401SUbsFLSOXE9 |
| dimmi | pno, elec | 2022 | 5' 15" | manus | https://open.spotify.com/track/46LrDS0MkmSaV7ZpFJ2PLm |
| kilimanjaro | pno, elec/pno | 2022 | 3' 30" | manus/Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/3GYxxrcWV3Z6czWy8DqNdp |
| watching fireflies | pno | 2021 | 4' 30" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/5KMTPZMZIhtqI79WpRkiqa |
| that moment | pno | 2021 | 5' 15" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/5SHFMaXYPSUusyvNMTnDkL |
| heart | pno | 2021 | 3' 30" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/5dhChDLNt7XzswraDB9E5b |
| sorgenfri | pno | 2021 | 3' 45" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/0u1nkI0DPgfPjtWyflMMyX |
| rúmd | 2tpt, hn, tbn, tba/str/pno | 2021 | 6' 30" | manus/Edition H. Eide | https://youtu.be/O7IWDYfp1TI |
| nýbyrjan | pno | 2021 | 2' 30" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/3Y5MDWlnThOmNxVI2Yizqa |
| i loftet hænger disse øjne | voice, pno | 2021 | 3' 15" | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/i-loftet-haenger-disse-ojne |
| reyði tráðurin | org | 2021 | 4' 30" | manus | https://youtu.be/vtKKYGzj0CM |
| in a field | pno | 2021 | 7' 15" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/0QoZ0FGPttXghnefh0lAqh |
| growing apart | 2vln, vla, vlc | 2020 | 4' 30" | manus | https://youtu.be/wPz5hbSL728 |
| never quite the same | elec | 2020 | N/A | N/A | |
| dropped in | 2gtr | 2020 | 9' 45" | manus | |
| bells | pno | 2020 | 11' 30" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/3wmeDU1CJXfYZQPM9xC4Dz |
| ripples | pno | 2020 | 12' 30" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/4ODNsF9lOmL83Qt7PkK1iF |
| in fog | pno | 2020 | 15' 45" | Edition H. Eide | https://open.spotify.com/track/0BFnXqt3OO39nf4RZROWbe |
| søgnin um kópakonuna í 10 myndum | fl, cl | 2020 | 13' | manus | https://youtu.be/udr7f1vwuXU&t=1560 (26:00) |
| +/- | 2ssax, 2asax, 2tsax, 2barsax | 2019 | 8' 45" | manus | |
| trio scherzando | ssax, tpt, gtr | 2019 | 6' 30" | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/trio-scherzando |
| papillon | pno, elec | 2019 | 7' 45" | manus | |
| ocean in motion | fl, cl, elec | 2019 | 12' | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/ocean-in-motion |
| rura, rura | pno | 2019 | 2' 15" | Edition H. Eide | |
| danse grotesque | org | 2018 | 4' 15" | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/danse-grotesque |
| spindel | cl | 2018 | 6' 30" | manus | |
| lokomotiv | pno, vib | 2018 | 6' 15" | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/lokomotiv |
| movement for flute, violin & piano | fl, vln, pno | 2018 | 5' | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/movement-for-flute-violin-piano |
| conversation for piano & percussion | pno, perc | 2017 | 6' 45" | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/conversation-for-piano-percussion |
| freya syngur | SATB | 2017 | 8' | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/freya-syngur |
| brass quintet in three parts | 2tpt, hn, tbn, tba | 2016 | 10' 15" | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/brass-quintet-in-three-parts |
| chromatica | pno | 2015 | 25' | manus | https://soundcloud.com/elitausenalava/sets/chromatica |





































