Elizabeth Blumenstock

(She/Her)
Elizabeth Blumenstock Headshot with a violin, gesturing to students

Contact

Office 509

Departments

Historical Performance
Baroque Violin
Baroque Viola

Courses Taught

Applied Lessons

Baroque Violin and Viola

Education

University of California, Berkeley

Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague

Ensembles

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra

American Bach Soloists

Göttingen International Handel Festival

Awards and Distinctions

Artistic Director, Corona del Mar Baroque Music Festival, 2011

Concertmaster, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra

Concertmaster, American Bach Soloists

Violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock's hair-trigger virtuosity was authoritative, gleefully demented, and mean as a hornet."

— The Washington Post

Q&A

What is your hometown?

Berkeley, CA

What is your favorite recording?

Biber Harmonia Artificioso - Ariosa, The Rare Fruits Council

What are you passionate about outside of music?

Visual arts, crafts, and evolution.

Who were your major teachers?

Joseph Kovacs, Jürgen Kussmaul, and Alan Curtis.

What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?

"Exercise yourself in a messa di voce ... Set out on this exercise at once, and spend at least an hour on it every day, though at different times, a little in the morning, and a little in the evening; and keep constantly in mind that this is, of all exercises, the most difficult and the most important."
—Giuseppe Tartini

What was a turning point in your career?

Deciding to pursue Baroque violin rather than modern viola.

What is your daily practice routine?

Highly circumstance-dependent; ideally developing my technique through work on upcoming performance repertoire, as opposed to abstract technical practice.

If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?

Bach, Rameau, and Handel.

What recordings can we hear you on?

Bach. Violin Sonatas BWV 1014-1019, 1021 & 1023, Harmonia Mundi
Vivaldi concertos for diverse instruments, Reference Recordings
Dancing in the Isles, Solimar
Hagen sonatas for lute and strings, Dorian
Boismortier duos, ToneGnome Classical Music Recordings