Elena Kats-Chernin (born 4 November 1957) is a Soviet-born Australian composer. She was born in Tashkent (now the capital of independent Uzbekistan, but then part of the Soviet Union), and emigrated to Australia in 1975. She studied composition with Richard Toop, and later with Helmut Lachenmann in Germany. While in Europe she became active in theatre and ballet, composing for state theatres in Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg and Bochum. In 1993 she wrote Clocks for the Ensemble Modern.