Elliot Leung

Elliot Leung is a composer who seeks to blend the five human senses through poignant musical storytelling. He is the youngest recipient of the prestigious Huabiao Award for his film music. The South China Morning Post observed Leung as a composer who writes “evocatively with flair and romance.” His music has been described as “audio-graphically visual” (The Standard) and “invigorates life” (Film Inquiry). 

Highlights in the 23-24 concert season include premieres by leading orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. His “Symphony no. 1, The Metaverse,” was premiered and recorded by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in the Hong Kong Culture Centre and then released by Sony Classical. In its review, South China Morning Post wrote, “Citing traditional influences such as Jean Sibelius, Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff, Leung's music has flair and romance in weeping passages consisting of chromatic, mysterious, musical themes.” 

Leung also writes extensively for visual media, and is especially known for his symphonic film scores, most notably for the highest grossing Chinese film of all time, "The Battle at Lake Changjin." In 2023, Elliot broke into Hollywood composing the score for Freelance (dir: Pierre Morel) starring John Cena and Alison Brie. Leung’s prowess in combining electronics and symphonic colours are showcased in his other box office breaking films such as Operation Red Sea, Water Gate Bridge and The Rescue. His Operation Red Sea Concert Suite has been widely performed to sold-out concert audiences. In video games, his emotive storytelling saw him composing for Six Days in Fallujah by Victura to be released on Playstation, Xbox and PC. Other popular video game titles include Dragonheir: Silent Gods by Bytedance and LifeAfter: Season 3 by Netease Games, Honour of Kings by Tencent Games which won him two Game Audio Network Guild Awards for "Best Audio for a Casual or Social Game" and “Best Main Theme.” Other than his symphonic film works, his musical versatility in chamber music also saw him composing for Disney+ series Anita and comedy Great Expectations. As of November 2023, his films have grossed $2.2 billion USD worldwide.

Leung received early musical training at age 5, and was selected to perform in the CCTV show "Charming China Youth Arts Festival (亞洲藝術盛典 · 魅力中國)" as a result of his early musical excellence. He went on to study music composition at the Wheaton Conservatory of Music on scholarship where he was taught and mentored by renowned composer Martin O’Donnell.