Ellinor D'Melon
Ellinor D’Melon was born to Cuban parents in Jamaica and started to learn the violin at the age of two. Today, she is ‘one of those rare players who gives the impression that her command – both technical and musical – is total’ (Michael Dervan, The Irish Times). Classic FM’s ‘Rising Star of 2023’ and prize winner of major competitions including the Henryk Wieniawski (1st Prize), ‘Debut Berlin’ (1st Prize) and Novosibirsk (1st Prize and special awards), Ellinor is forging a career as a violinist of the highest standing.Her debut album Tchaikovsky and Lalo, recorded with Jaime Martín and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, was released in March 2023 for Rubicon Classics ‘making a noticeable impression in a crowded arena’ (The Strad).
Ellinor is increasingly performing worldwide with leading orchestras, such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, St.Petersburg Philharmonic, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Virtuosi, Orquestra de Cadaqués, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfoníca de Navarra and the Sofia Philharmonic, and she has performed in various prestigious halls, notably the Berliner Philharmonie, Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall, Madrid National Auditorium, Het Concertgebouw, Cologne Philharmonie, Tonhalle Zurich, Sala Verdi Milano, Gdansk Baltic Hall. Her growing list of collaborators include Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Spivakov, Jaime Martin, Michail Jurowski, James Feddeck and Jan Latham Koenig, amongst others.
Recent and forthcoming highlights include debut performances with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Manchester Camerata, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias stepping in for Hilary Hahn, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y Leon stepping in for James Ehnes, Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta de la Región de Murcia, Antalya Symphony Orchestra, Niedebayerische Symphony Orchestra, ADDA Symphony Orchestra, her UK recital debut at Royal Albert Hall’s prestigious Elgar Room and appearances at the Marlboro, Verbier, Gstaad, Kronberg, Ravinia and Schlesswig- Holstein music festivals, as well as Musical Olympus, Interlarken Classics, and Wieniawski festivals. Additional highlights include performances of the Bach Double Concerto alongside Anne- Sophie Mutter, and chamber concerts with Midori, Steven Isserlis, Christian Tetzlaff, Kim Kashkashian, Asier Polo as well as Fazil Say at the Tsinandali Festival recorded for Medici TV.
A graduate of the Reina Sofia School of Music in 2024 and recipient of the Helena Revoredo Scholarship, Ellinor was awarded The Most Outstanding Stufent award in the violin department in 2021, an honor presented by the Queen of Spain.
Ellinor plays on a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini Violin from 1743 on a kind loan from an anonymous donor from London.
Photo: Paul Marc Mitchell
