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, the Boston Pops, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Richmond, and San Antonio symphony orchestras. In Europe, Elena has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Wurzburg Philharmonic, and Hungary’s Orchestra Dohnányi Budafok.

As first-place laureate in both the Junior and Senior divisions of the Sphinx Competition, she debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and has returned annually as soloist. She has collaborated with acclaimed conductors Sir Mark Elder, Keith Lockhart, Robert Spano, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Alondra de la Parra; pianists Mitsuko Uchida, Christopher O’Riley, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn; cellists Zuill Bailey, 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 her piano partner, Michael Brown, and has been a featured artist in the Marlboro, Ravinia, La Jolla, and Sarasota Chamber Music Festivals, as well as Switzerland’s Sion Valais International Music Festival.

Elena is the recipient of the inaugural Sphinx Medal of Excellence, London Music Masters Award, a Salon de Virtuosi career grant, and a first-prize winner of 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 is featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary Breaking the Sound Barrier, and in numerous magazines including Symphony, Strings, Philadelphia Music Makers, and Careers and Colleges.  She was recently featured in the 15^th anniversary issue of Latina magazine as one of its “Future Fifteen.”  Her first CD was released on the White Pine label, and her second recording – with pianist Christopher O’Riley and cellist Carter Brey – will be released in 2013.

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.  

November 2012

Photo: Alessandra Tinozzi