Pranav Ranjit (they/he) is an American composer based in Europe. Described as “soothing”, “well-sounding”, and “forming a beautiful whole” by Estonian cultural magazine Sirp, Ranjit’s works explore themes of space and texture, incorporating sounds from nature, influences from the Carnatic music of southern India and Lithuanian folk traditions, and the contrasting extremes of fullness and silence.
A recipient of the Eisner Prize in the Creative Arts, Ranjit recently graduated with their Master of Arts in composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with Tõnu Kõrvits and Helena Tulve, also pursuing exchange studies at Sibelius Academy with Veli-Matti Puumala. Ranjit obtained a Bachelor’s degree in composition at UC Berkeley in 2021, studying with Ken Ueno. Their music has been played by Les Percussions de Strasbourg, YXUS Ensemble, violinist Dennis Kim, flautist Sarah Brady, cellist Kivie Cahn-Lipman, and pianist Jelena Makarova, among others, and has been featured as part of the Estonian Music Days and Suure-Jaani Music Festival in Estonia.
Ranjit has been an active participant in composition courses and masterclasses, including the International Young Composers Academy in Ticino, the Cortona Sessions, and the Brevard Music Center’s summer composition institute, taking lessons with Du Yun, Oscar Bianchi, Samir Odeh-Tamimi, Robert Aldridge, and David Dzubay. Since August 2023, Ranjit has also been composing electroacoustic works, participating in workshops with Malle Maltis, Hans-Gunter Lock, and Bálint Laczkó at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the ARS Art Factory in Tallinn.
