Biography
Elin began her musical life at the age of four, studying violin at the Junior Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She then received tuition from Edmund Wilson who successfully introduced Elin to the viola at the age of eight, and she has played it ever since, achieving her ABRSM Diploma with Harry Cawood whilst at school.
Elin continued her studies with renowned violist Rivka Golani at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, where she completed her master’s degree with distinction. Elin was gratefully supported at Trinity Laban by the Stanley Picker Trust, a Trinity College London Scholarship and the Shield Award. Whilst at Trinity, Elin participated in masterclasses with violists Martin Outram, Jiri Zigmund and Aleksander Milosev and in September 2014 travelled to Budapest to take part in masterclasses and concerts at the Liszt Academy with Laszlo Barsonay.
A keen orchestral musician, Elin has played with ensembles including Trinity Laban String Ensemble, London Firebird Orchestra, Cardiff Sinfonietta and as Principal Viola with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and has represented Wales in the International Regional Orchestra in Baden Wurttemberg.
Elin is an avid chamber musician and with her ensemble the Camilli Quartet, won the Trinity Laban John Barbirolli Competition for Beethoven String Quartets in January 2015, and achieved a place on the Richard Carne Trust Mentorship Programme in partnership with the Carducci and Wihan Quartets.
Elin has played in many prestigious venues in the UK and abroad, including Hoddinot Hall, St David’s Hall, the Sage Gateshead, the Royal Albert Hall, the Berlin Konzerthaus and Carnegie Hall and is the winner of the 2014 Vera Kantrovich Prize for Solo Bach and the 2016 City Livery Club Music Prize.
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
What do you think concerts of the future should look like?
I think technology and social media will definitely play even more of a role in classical music concerts in the future. I think that more and more concerts will be live-streamed and available on demand, and audiences will want even more interaction with the music and performers. I also think that the spaces that classical music is performed in will start to change to become more experimental and accessible to interact with new audiences, and we’ll find that more and more concerts will take place outside the traditional concert venue.
What do you do with your time when you’re not playing music?
I’m a bit of a granny at heart. I like baking (especially cupcakes) and staying in with a good book or TV series and a cup of tea. I also love going for walks and exploring the beautiful parks that London has to offer.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us
I made my operatic debut at the age of five as a mouse in Mervyn Burtch’s Alice in Wonderland at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Dance. It was also my last appearance on stage in an opera.