Kirin McElwain is a cellist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer working in the realms of experimental, improvised, contemporary classical, and popular music.
In her own sound and compositional practice, she uses cello, modular synthesizer, and voice to explore the tension between formal structure and chaos, western classical harmony and noise, and ideas of “goodness” and “correctness.
Her self-released debut EP, Viriditas, received praise from Foxy Digitalis and A Closer Listen, and received play on Electric Rabbit Radio Hour.
In May of 2023, Kirin completed a residency at Elektron Musikstudion (Stockholm, SE) working with the halldorophone and Buchla 200 system to generate new material for a future solo release. She is currently working on her first full-length solo release.
Trained as a classical cellist, Kirin is equally at home in concert halls, recording studios, and DIY venues. As a cellist, she has performed on various film and television scores (HBO, Gimlet Media, PBS, NPR Music, YouTube Music), contemporary artists (Post Malone, Ioanna Gika, This Will Destroy You), contemporary dance concerts (Claudia Schreier Company, Harlem Dance Theater, Triskelion Arts), mixed media installations (the MET, James Cohan Gallery, Neue Galerie), and traditional classical and contemporary/new music concerts (Carnegie Hall, National Sawdust, Kimmel Center).