Asheville Symphony presents a masterclass with violinist Elena Urioste

Press release

Photo by Alessandra Tinozzi.

The Asheville Symphony will present a masterclass with Sphinx competition winner and BBC New Generation artist, violinist Elena Urioste. Friday February 7th, 4:00pm Reuter Center on the campus of UNC Asheville Ms. Urioste will work with three up and coming young players from Buncombe County:  Katelyn Hammel: Sophomore, Pisgah High School.  Performing “Symphony Espagnole” by Lalo. Kristie Kim: Sophomore, Asheville High School. Performing “Zigeunerweisen Op 20” by Sarasate. Julian Pinelli: Senior, home schooled. Performing “Sonata No. 1” by Bach. This masterclass is a part of the Asheville Symphony’s educational outreach and is free to the public. Questions can be directed to ASO Educational Coordinator, Cara Jenkins at cmjenkins@ashevillesymphony.org.  

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. 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. 

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.

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.