Elizabeth Wallfisch (née Hunt; born 28 January 1952) is an Australian

Baroque violin A Baroque violin is a violin set up in the manner of the baroque period of music. The term includes original instruments which have survived unmodified since the Baroque period, as well as later instruments adjusted to the baroque setup, and mode ...

ist.

Biography

Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Wallfisch debuted as a concert soloist at the age of 12 and took part in such competitions as the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Concerto Competition. She was educated at St Catherine's School, Toorak in Melbourne, leaving in 1969. She studied at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

under Frederick 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

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

in the Carl Flesch Competition. She began to perform with orchestras such as the

London Mozart Players London Mozart Players (LMP) are a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. LMP are the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom. Since 1989, the orchestra has been Resident Orchestra at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. History B ...

and the

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmon ...

in England, establishing herself as a concert performer in the UK. She developed a reputation as a specialist

ist. Playing on a period instrument, Wallfisch has recorded and performed many Baroque works, well-known and obscure, from

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

's '' The Four Seasons'' to a collection of Telemann's Violin Concertos (6 CDs, CPO) to the

Pietro Locatelli Pietro Antonio Locatelli (3 September 1695 in Bergamo – 30 March 1764 in Amsterdam) was an Italian Baroque composer and violinist. Biography Bergamo Little is known about Locatelli's childhood. In his early youth he was the third violinist ...

Violin Concertos, Op. 3. In 1989, she co-founded The Locatelli Trio (since renamed Convivium), along with Richard Tunnicliffe (cello) and Paul Nicholson (harpsichord). This 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; these include the

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is a British period instrument orchestra. The OAE is a resident orchestra of the Southbank Centre, London, associate orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera Artistic Associate at Kings Place, and h ...

, the

Hanover Band The Hanover Band is a British orchestra specialised in historically informed performance, founded by its artistic director, Caroline Brown. The group's website explains the name thus: '' 'Hanover' signifies the Hanoverian period 1714-1830 and ' ...

and the Raglan Baroque Players. In her home country of Australia, she has led such ensembles as the

Australian Chamber Orchestra The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975.Verghis, Sharon"Bach with more bite pays off" ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 2 September 2005. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appo ...

and the

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra (ABO) is an Australian period instrument orchestra specialising in the performance of baroque and classical music. Founders The orchestra's founder and artistic director is Paul Dyer. In 2013 Dyer was a ...

. Academic positions, past and present, held by Wallfisch include Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, teaching at the

in London, and artist-in-residence at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

Personal life

Wallfisch is married to the British cellist

Raphael Wallfisch Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953 in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames i ...

. Their three children are producer of film scores and

Academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

-member

Benjamin Wallfisch Benjamin Mark Lasker Wallfisch (born 7 August 1979) is a British composer, conductor, orchestrator, and producer of film scores. Since the mid-2000s, he has worked on over 75 feature films, including composing original scores for '' Blade Ru ...

, cellist and baritone

Simon Wallfisch Simon Wallfisch (born 22 May 1982) is a British-German classical singer and cellist. Life and career Simon Joseph Lasker Wallfisch was born in London in 1982 to a family of professional musicians: his father is British cellist Raphael Wallfisch ...

, and singer-songwriter

Joanna Wallfisch Joanna Wallfisch (* 1985 in London) is a British-Australian singer-songwriter and jazz singer. Life and career Wallfisch grew up in London in a musical family. Her father Raphael Wallfisch is a british cellist, her mother Elizabeth Wallfisch a ...

. Elizabeth Wallfisch is the granddaughter of the British conductor Albert Coates, daughter of British oboist Tamara Coates, twin sister of the late Australian-Canadian cellist Tanya Prochazka, and step-daughter of cellist Marianne Hunt.

Accolades

In 2021 she received the

Telemann Prize The Telemann Prize is an annual classical music award for special achievements in interpretation, research and cultivation of the life and work of Georg Philipp Telemann. Since 1987, the city of Magdeburg has awarded the prize every year in March ...

by the city of

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...

References

External links

Hyperion Records: Elizabeth Wallfisch

Goldberg Magazine: Elizabeth Wallfisch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallfisch, Elizabeth 1952 births 20th-century classical violinists Australian classical violinists Australian performers of early music Women performers of early music Living people Baroque-violin players Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music 21st-century classical violinists 20th-century Australian musicians 21st-century Australian musicians Women classical violinists 20th-century women musicians 21st-century women musicians People educated at St Catherine's School, Melbourne Musicians from Melbourne