Short Bio

Virtuoso violinist Elbert Tsai leads a multifaceted career as a recitalist and sought-after pedagogue. His recitals, which often celebrate the short showpieces and gems of the instrument’s 450-year musical history, have been featured recently at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Three Rivers Performing Arts Institute, YES Foundation for the Arts, Throckmorton Theatre, Scripps College, Le Petit Trianon Theatre, and Colburn School for the Performing Arts. Before embarking on a solo and chamber music career, Elbert was a member of the San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Symphony orchestras. He toured with the symphony throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia from 2006-2016. Elbert has taught violin and chamber music at Center Stage Strings, the Luzerne Music Center, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, SFCM Pre-College Division, and the Crowden School. He holds degrees from the University of Southern California, Rice University, and Oberlin College. For more information, please visit www.elberttsai.com.

Medium Bio

Virtuoso violinist Elbert Tsai leads a multifaceted career as a recitalist and sought-after pedagogue. His recitals, which often celebrate the short showpieces and gems of the instrument’s 450-year musical history, have been featured recently at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Three Rivers Performing Arts Institute, YES Foundation for the Arts, Throckmorton Theatre, Scripps College, Le Petit Trianon Theatre, and Colburn School for the Performing Arts. As a soloist, Elbert has appeared with the Bear Valley Music Festival, Oakland Opera Theater, National Repertory Orchestra, and Sacramento Symphony, often performing concertos featuring his own original cadenzas. Before embarking on a solo and chamber music career, Elbert was an orchestral violinist, winning positions with the San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Symphony orchestras. From 2006 to 2016, he shared the stage with many of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists and toured to renowned concert halls in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Widely praised as a teacher and educator, Elbert has taught violin and chamber music as a faculty member of Center Stage Strings and the Luzerne Music Center. As a guest artist, he has presented masterclasses at the University of Michigan School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory. Additionally, he has been appointed to the violin faculty of the SFCM Pre- College Division and coaches chamber music at the Crowden School in Berkeley.

Elbert holds degrees from the University of Southern California, Rice University, and Oberlin College, where he majored in violin and computer science and completed a minor in piano performance. His principal teachers and musical mentors include Robert Lipsett, Paul Kantor, Greg Fulkerson, Ken Goldsmith, Anne Crowden, Joel Smirnoff, and Paul Katz.

Elbert performs on an outstanding violin made by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, the “ex-Sophie Hummler.” For more information, please visit www.elberttsai.com.