Eleanor Bartsch
Co-Founder
www.eleanorbartsch.com
Hailed for her "clarion tone and technical aplomb" (Chicago Classical Review), Chicago-Based violinist Eleanor Bartsch enjoys a diverse and vibrant career as an orchestra musician, chamber musician, Concertmaster, soloist, educator, and entrepreneur at home in many musical styles. She is currently Associate Concertmaster of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and first violinist of the critically acclaimed Kontras Quartet, a touring classical string quartet with an interest in exploring the intersections of classical and folk music. A performing member of the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, Bartsch frequently serves as Concertmaster and Associate Concertmaster for subscription concerts and in the pit accompanying the Joffrey Ballet. As a founding member and Marketing Director of Madison, Wisconsin's Willy Street Chamber Players, she concertizes throughout Wisconsin and maintains a passion for chamber music and community. This season, she can frequently be seen in the pit and on stage as an extra musician with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
A former member of both the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Bartsch has collaborated with an extensive list of ensembles and musicians with highlights including Eighth Blackbird, the Spektral Quartet, the Knights, the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, Ben Folds, Johnny Matthis, Josh Groban, and Andrea Bocelli. Along with the rest of the Kontras Quartet, she regularly joins forces with the well-known bluegrass trio, the Kruger Brothers. A champion of new music, Bartsch has recently premiered works by Steven Snowden, Amy Wurtz, and Laura Elise Schwendinger.
In 2015, Bartsch completed her Masters Degree in Violin Performance as a Paul Collins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She studied with David Perry and Felicia Moye and concurrently earned a graduate certificate in Entrepreneurship from the School of Business. She also holds a bachelor's degree from UW-Madison during which she spent her summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School studying with Paul Kantor.
A dedicated teacher, Bartsch is currently on the faculty of the Barrington Music Academy. She participates annually in the Kontras Quartet Summer Chamber Music Institute at Emory and Henry College in Virginia and is a frequent guest clinician at learning institutions throughout the United States.
A former member of both the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Bartsch has collaborated with an extensive list of ensembles and musicians with highlights including Eighth Blackbird, the Spektral Quartet, the Knights, the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, Ben Folds, Johnny Matthis, Josh Groban, and Andrea Bocelli. Along with the rest of the Kontras Quartet, she regularly joins forces with the well-known bluegrass trio, the Kruger Brothers. A champion of new music, Bartsch has recently premiered works by Steven Snowden, Amy Wurtz, and Laura Elise Schwendinger.
In 2015, Bartsch completed her Masters Degree in Violin Performance as a Paul Collins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She studied with David Perry and Felicia Moye and concurrently earned a graduate certificate in Entrepreneurship from the School of Business. She also holds a bachelor's degree from UW-Madison during which she spent her summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School studying with Paul Kantor.
A dedicated teacher, Bartsch is currently on the faculty of the Barrington Music Academy. She participates annually in the Kontras Quartet Summer Chamber Music Institute at Emory and Henry College in Virginia and is a frequent guest clinician at learning institutions throughout the United States.