Hailed for her “clarion tone and technical aplomb” (Chicago Classical Review), Chicago-based violinist Eleanor Bartsch enjoys a vibrant career as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, concertmaster, soloist, educator, concert curator, and entrepreneur. In 2018, she was appointed first violinist of the critically acclaimed Kontras Quartet. She is additionally Associate Concertmaster of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and a performing member and frequent principal player of the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra where she also serves on the board of directors. Bartsch is Professor of Violin and Head of Strings at Elmhurst University and appears regularly with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Joffrey Ballet orchestras.

In addition to national and international appearances and tours, the Kontras Quartet (Price Artist Management) remains dedicated to the Chicago music scene, appearing as regular guests on 98.7 Classical WFMT radio and on all local chamber music series. The group served as Artists in Residence at Western Michigan University from 2018-2020 and with Art of Elan in San Diego, CA from 2018-2022. Kontras also enjoys a unique and ongoing collaboration with the bluegrass ensemble, the Kruger Brothers, and has championed a wide array of classical/bluegrass crossover chamber works. 2023 highlights for the Kontras/Kruger pairing included the release of a new album on Double Time Records and a two-week European tour of Switzerland and Germany.

Additional chamber music projects for Bartsch include appearances with Eighth Blackbird, the Spektral Quartet, the Pro Arte Quartet, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Dame Myra Hess Concerts, Rush Hour Concerts, Chamber Music on the Fox, Midsummers Music in Door County, WI, and curating concerts for Chicago Phil Chamber and Elgin Symphony Chamber Players. In 2015, Bartsch co-founded Madison, Wisconsin’s Willy Street Chamber Players, an award-winning ensemble and summer festival with an emphasis on creating community through classical music. Equally committed to contemporary and time-honored works, she continues to research and expand the standard repertoire with a special interest in presenting the work of women and BIPOC composers through diverse concert curation.

As a soloist Bartsch has concertized with the Chicago Philharmonic, the Elgin Symphony, the Dubuque Symphony, the Minnesota Sinfonia, and many others. Other recent solo highlights include Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy” with the Middleton Community Orchestra (2022) and the world premiere of Laura Schwendinger’s “Nightingales” for two violins and orchestra with violinist Ariana Kim in consortium with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra- a project she brought to life by bringing together organizations and artists important to her (2022).

A sought-after orchestral performer and leader, Bartsch was Concertmaster of the Dubuque Symphony from 2016-2023. Currently Associate Concertmaster of the Elgin Symphony, she has served as frequent Concertmaster of the Chicago Philharmonic, Joffrey Ballet Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater Orchestra, and many others. She has appeared as a regular guest with many of the nation’s premiere orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Grant Park Orchestra, and the Knights. Bartsch was a tenured member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra for 8 seasons and 5 seasons, respectively.

A passionate music educator, Bartsch was appointed Professor of Violin and Head of Strings at Elmhurst University in 2023 where she currently maintains an active schedule teaching her wonderful violin students and coaching chamber music. Previously, she was Artist in Residence and chamber music coach at Western Michigan University. She has given masterclasses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Chicago, University of California-San Diego, University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, and Western Michigan University. Additionally, she has amassed over 15 years of experience teaching and mentoring hundreds of young music students at the pre-college level privately, through the Barrington Music Academy, Midwest Philharmonic Orchestra, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, and visits to many, many schools.

Dedicated to creating and supporting community through classical music and music education, Bartsch has been heavily involved in innovative engagement projects including regularly delivering Elgin Symphony “Listener’s Club” lectures at local libraries, writing curriculum for the Dubuque Symphony “Adopt a Musician” program, mentoring students in economically diverse neighborhoods through the Chicago Philharmonic “AMP” program, visiting local hospitals, long-term care facilities and hospice centers through the Elgin Symphony’s “Musicians Care” program and the Madison Symphony’s “Heartstrings” program, and delivering performances to local free and reduced cost summer camp programs, community centers, and other inclusive spaces through the Willy Street Chamber Players “Community Connect” program, which she co-founded.

Born into a musical family, Bartsch’s passion for the violin began even before she started lessons at the age of 4 in her hometown of St. Paul, MN. Her first teachers and early mentors were Ellen Kim, Young-Nam Kim and her parents. She received her master’s degree in violin performance with a certificate in business entrepreneurship from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music and School of Business, respectively, studying violin with David Perry and Felicia Moye as a Paul Collins Distinguished Graduate Fellow. Bartsch also received her bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison, during which she was a recipient of the Kato Perlman chamber music fellowship and spent three summers at the Aspen Music Festival studying with renowned pedagogue Paul Kantor and performing with the Aspen Chamber Symphony and Festival Orchestra.