Biography

Elina Kalendarova, a native of Tashkent (USSR), joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2002. She began her violin training with Nathan Mendelson. Later she earned a master’s degree from the Moscow Conservatory where she was a pupil of Igor Bezrodnyi. While doing her post-graduate work, Kalendarova served as a concertmistress of the Ars Viva Chamber Orchestra. She recorded a CD of chamber music by Taneyev and Glinka for the Le Chant du Monde label.

Since moving to America in 1994, Kalendarova has performed as a soloist with the Liederkrantz Symphony Orchestra in New York and appeared as a recitalist for the Ascending Artists series. In 1996 she was a recipient of the MetLife Music and Visual Arts Award presented through the New York Association for New Americans.

Before joining The Philadelphia Orchestra, Kalendarova played with the American Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony. She is a founding member of the Society Hill String Quintet, comprised of members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. 

Biography courtesy of The Philadelphia Orchestra
Photo: Jessica Griffin