Elizabeth Wallfisch

Elizabeth Wallfisch (born January 28, 1952) is an Australian Baroque violinist. She is renowned for her versatility across repertoire from various musical periods, and her particular talent in playing the music of the Baroque.

Wallfisch was a natural musician from a young age, debuting as a concert soloist at the age of 12 and taking part in such competitions as the ABC Concerto Competition. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Fredericke Grinke and was awarded, among other prizes, the President's Prize. At the age of 20 she won the Franco Gulli Senior Prize for violin, and was jointly awarded the Mozart Memorial Prize.

In 1974, Wallfisch won the prize for most outstanding performance of Bach in the Carl Flesch Competition, an award which surely indicated the acclaim she would receive as a Baroque violinist later in her career. She began to perform with and lead orchestras such as the London Mozart Players and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in England, thus establishing herself as a concert performer in that country.

The music and technique of the Baroque then became Wallfisch's main passion, as she developed a reputation as a specialist Baroque violinist. Playing on a period instrument, Wallfisch has recorded and performed many Baroque works, well-known and obscure, from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" to the Pietro Locatelli "Violin Concerti Op 3".

In 1989, she co-founded The Locatelli Trio (since re-named Convivium), along with Richard Tunnicliffe (cello) and Paul Nicholson (harpsichord). This renowned ensemble records and performs less well-known works from the Baroque, including violin sonatas by Locatelli, Corelli and Tartini.

Wallfisch has led many diverse ensembles and orchestras around the world to great acclaim - these include the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Hanover Band and the Raglan Baroque Players. In her home country of Australia, she has led such ensembles as the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.

Academic positions, past and present, held by Wallfisch include Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, teaching at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and artist-in-residence at Melbourne University.

Sources

* [http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/artist_page.asp?name=wallfisch Hyperion Records: Elizabeth Wallfisch]
* [http://www.goldbergweb.com/en/interpreters/conductors/9271.php Goldberg Magazine: Elizabeth Wallfisch]