Eli Philip Hocking is a composer, linguist-writer, and multi-instrumentalist from the Midwest. He approaches art as both artifact&biofact, and his creations reflect a deep curiosity about the condition of life—an attempt to understand, document, & give shape to the diverse experiences of all living organisms. He is interested in corporal-visceral rhythms, liberated tuning systems, & un-colonizing emotional expressions. Drawing from his background in linguistics, Eli incorporates the rhythmic&melodic contours of world languages (and made up ones) into his compositions.

As a multi-insturmentalist, Eli has been a part of premieres and performances on piano, organ, voice, guitar, trombone, euphonium, and electronic instruments. On organ, he has performed works including Toccata Primi Toni by Einar Trærup Sark, Messe de la Pentecôte by Messiaen, and a partial rendition of Stockhausen’s Plus-Minus No. 14. He has premiered vocal works as a part of NOTUS, Indiana University’s contemporary vocal ensemble, including a work he co-composed with Courage Barda, La Mandoline. Eli performs his own acoustic-electronic works, which involve use of the body, voice, and instruments as apparatuses for electronic modification and display.

Eli is currently pursuing a BM degree in Composition from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University with minors in French and Linguistics. He has studied composition with Don Freund, PQ Phan, Gabriel Jenks, & Texu Kim.

2026

Feb 26—Switchyard Park Pavilion—wint’ring—Josh Catanzaro, conductor; Tierney McClure, flute; Josh Wright, oboe; Jacob Wolf, clarinet & bass clarinet, Jasper Wright, bassoon; Madison Sinan, trumpet; Ethan Hiner-Stolhand, horn; Robert Cardon-Wake, trombone; Christopher Herz, violin; Lev Roshal, violin; Hannah Wendorf, viola; Yuna Lee, cello; Javier Hernández, double bass; Pavle Gavrilović, electric guitar; John Woodward, electric bass guitar; Noah Lopez, drumset

Mar 8—Auer Hall—inang pak-pak—Catherine Brown, conductor; Averi Corba, soprano; Marlena Wagschal, soprano; Kyla Sherry, soprano; Mara Summers, alto; Ruby Miller, alto; Malcolm Doaks, tenor; Clare Hopp, tenor; Courage Barda, tenor; Thejas Mirle, bass; Elijah Buerk, bass; Evan Tiapula, bass; Christopher Chiarotti, electric bass guitar; Eli Hocking, percussion

Mar 23—Auer Hall—from manidoog: ii. The Thunderbird—Evelyn Rohrbach, organ

Mar 25—Ford-Crawford Hall—Wind through trees—Eli Hocking, bass voice & live electronics

Apr 3—The Plenum—Learn To Knit at The Plenum—Anett Vaysberg, vocals; Katie Bowsher, vocals; Eli Hocking, synthesizer; Maia Epps, electric guitar; Jackson Hawkins, electirc bass guitar; Griffin Murphy, drumset

Apr 18—FAR Center For Contemporary Arts—Learn To Knit at SHOUT!—Anett Vaysberg, vocals; Katie Bowsher, vocals; Eli Hocking, synthesizer; Maia Epps, electric guitar; Jackson Hawkins, electirc bass guitar; Griffin Murphy, drumset

Apr 29—CECM—Bittersweet Flower—live electronics

2025

Mar 11—Auer Hall—La Mandoline—NOTUS Contemporary Vocal Ensemble; Dominick DiOrio, conductor; Courage Barda, co-composer

Apr 6—Metz Grand Carillon—Pull—Amy Hamburg, carillon

Apr 6—Ford-Crawford Hall—Sim-bongsa—Lin Wei-Liang, violin; Lee Yurim, gayageum sanjo

Nov 3—Ford-Crawford Hall—*kwel- —fixed electronics

Dec 4—CECM—BYLETH ⎕ rocks.curtailedstatements—live electronics

2024

Apr 26—Monroe County Public Library—And the winter waning—Ian Kiyokawa, trumpet; Nicholas Woods, trumpet; Emma Nixon, horn; Alexander Kreml, trombone; Caleb O’Neill, tuba

May 1—IU Musical Arts Center—And the winter waning—Ian Kiyokawa, trumpet; Nicholas Woods, trumpet; Emma Nixon, horn; Alexander Kreml, trombone; Caleb O’Neill, tuba

Nov 6—Auer Hall—undertow—Coda Scheuer, violin; Dmitri Volkov, violin; Addison Hightower, viola; Mil Carroll, cello

2023

Oct 17—Auer Hall—dendros—Stephen Stavnicky, trumpet

2022

Aug 22—Zion UCC Newburgh—sweet blossom—Allyson Donnelly, flute