About Me
A native of Seattle, Washington, Elyse Jacobson began studying the violin at the age of five (previous teachers include Janai Fuller, Michael Miropolsky, and Carrie Rehkopf-Michel). Elyse's love for chamber music developed early on; at age 16 she was a member of the Shorewood Piano Quintet, which was coached by members of the Philadelphia String Quartet and took first-place awards at both the Washington State Ensemble Competition and the Northwest Orchestra Festival. After beginning her university studies she became a founding member of the Abraxas String Quartet, which was twice named a semifinalist group in the prestigious Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, performed extensively throughout Washington and B.C., appeared live on Seattle's KING FM radio, and was coached by members of the Kronos, Penderecki, Lafayette, Kairos, St. Lawrence, and Chester quartets, among others. Jacobson also participated actively in the Abraxas Quartet's outreach program, coaching young chamber groups and performing in high schools throughout western Washington. In recent years, Elyse has appeared as a guest artist at the festival Chamber Music San Juans, has served as Concertmaster of the UBC Symphony, and has been a member of the Yakima and Kamloops symphony orchestras. In 2006, she toured Alaska and East Asia as first violinist of the Delphinus String Quartet, ensemble-in-residence on the M.V. Sapphire Princess, part of the Princess Cruise Lines fleet. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance at the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Jasper Wood, and is actively performing and teaching in Vancouver and the surrounding areas.
An avid explorer of musical genres outside the Classical idiom, Elyse has performed and recorded with such artists as Rory Corbin, Rebels and Scientists, Maria in the Shower, and The White. She is currently a member of rock group The Living, as well as Flores de Alegria, Canada's only all-female Mariachi group. In her spare time she enjoys acting in plays, reading, going to concerts, watching independent films, and seeking out ways to eat good food from all over the world as cheaply as possible.
