Elena Urioste, recently selected as a BBC New Generation Artist and featured on the cover of Symphony magazine, has been hailed by critics and audiences alike for her lush tone, the nuanced lyricism of her playing, and her commanding stage presence. Elena’s debut performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra were praised by three separate critics for their “hypnotic delicacy,” “expressive poise,” and “lyrical sensitivity.” Since first appearing with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age thirteen, she has made acclaimed debuts with major orchestras throughout the United States, including the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Buffalo Philharmonic, and the National, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Richmond, and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras. In Europe, Elena has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Würzburg Philharmonic, and Hungary’s Orchestra Dohnányi Budafok and MAV Orchestra. She has performed recitals in such distinguished venues as Wigmore Hall in London, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, and the Mondavi Center at the University of California-Davis. Engagements for the 2013-14 season include performances with the BBC Philharmonic, the Edmonton Symphony, the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and recitals at Wigmore Hall, Sage Gateshead, and Konzerthaus Berlin, among others.
As first-place laureate in both the Junior and Senior divisions of the Sphinx Competition, Elena debuted at Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium in 2004 and has returned annually as soloist. She has collaborated with acclaimed conductors Sir Mark Elder, Christoph Eschenbach, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Robert Spano, and Keith Lockhart; pianists Mitsuko Uchida, Christopher O’Riley, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn; cellists Peter Wiley, Carter Brey, and Colin Carr; and violinists Joseph Silverstein, Shlomo Mintz, and Cho-Liang Lin. An avid chamber musician as well as soloist, Elena frequently performs in recital with pianist Michael Brown and has been a featured artist in the Marlboro, Ravinia, La Jolla, and Sarasota music festivals, as well as Switzerland’s Sion Valais International Music Festival.
Elena's awards include the inaugural Sphinx Medal of Excellence, a London Music Masters Award, a Salon de Virtuosi career grant, and first prize in the Sion International Violin Competition, which also awarded her its audience prize and the prize for best performance of the competition’s newly commissioned work.
Her media credits include the popular radio programs From the Top and Performance Today, appearances on Telemundo and NBC’s Today Show, and a McGraw Young Artists Showcase performance for a live studio audience at WQXR’s Greene Space in New York City. She was featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary Breaking the Sound Barrier, and in numerous magazines including Symphony, The Strad, Strings, Philadelphia Music Makers, Careers and Colleges, and Latina magazine, which included her in its 15th anniversary issue as one of its “Future Fifteen.” Her first CD was released on the White Pine label, and her second recording — with pianist Michael Brown — will be released in 2014.
Elena is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Joseph Silverstein, Pamela Frank, and Ida Kavafian. She completed graduate studies with Joel Smirnoff at The Juilliard School. Other notable teachers include David Cerone, Choong-Jin Chang, Soovin Kim, and the late Rafael Druian.
The outstanding instruments now being used by Elena are an Alessandro Gagliano violin, Naples c. 1706, and a Pierre Simon bow, both on generous extended loan from the private collection of Dr. Charles E. King through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
Website: elenaurioste.com/