Ellen Jacobs

Ellen Jacobs is a composer and flutist. In her work, she explores the perception of sound and the boundary between everyday sound and music. By isolating and recontextualising sounds, she creates layered soundscapes in which acoustic and electronic elements come together.

She studied composition at KASK & Conservatoire Ghent under Daan Janssens and attended masterclasses with, amongst others, Oscar Bettison, Ansgar Beste, Malin Bång and Clara Iannotta. Her work has been performed by ensembles such as HERMESensemble, Plus-Minus Ensemble and Núna Ensemble.

Ellen has long been fascinated by the sounds that surround us every day, but to which we, as humans, pay little or no attention. In 2025, she received a grant from the Flemish government to investigate ‘inaudible sounds’. In the process, she learnt to make field recordings using microphones underwater and in the soil, whilst her research also covered ultrasonic sounds and electromagnetic waves. She soon developed a keen fascination for soil life and the world of sound that exists there.

Ellen has frequently used field recordings as the basis for her work in the past. The recordings form a soundscape in their own right, which Ellen then seeks to connect with her practice as a composer. She does this by collaborating closely with musicians and, together with them, analysing, imitating and further developing the sounds. This results in a sound catalogue that forms the basis of her work. During her residency at MakerSpace with I SOLISTI, Ellen will therefore have the opportunity to collaborate with professional musicians and, together with them, further deepen and broaden her practice and soundscape.

In addition to her sonic research, Ellen is also firmly convinced of the importance of conveying a social message to her audience through her music. She aims to spark a sense of wonder for the non-human living world through sound and music.