Elspeth Wyllie

Elspeth enjoys a multi-faceted career as a pianist and choral director, in a variety of roles from performing and directing, to teaching and workshop leading.

As a soloist and chamber musician, she performs throughout the UK and appeared on Classics Unwrapped for BBC Radio Scotland. She is passionate about exploring unjustly neglected repertoire: Enigmas, a recording of solo and chamber works by 20^th-century English composers, was released by Divine Art Records in 2017 to critical acclaim. Her partnership with mezzo Catherine Backhouse has led to recitals of music entirely by female composers. And with violist Alexa Beattie in the Amalie Trio, they produce tightly-themed programmes exploring duos and trios from a wide variety of composers. Elspeth has enjoyed commissioning and collaborating on music by composers including Bernard Hughes, Colin Matthews, Sally Beamish, Joseph Atkins and Oliver Searle.

Elspeth has twenty years’ experience as a choral repetiteur, both as rehearsal pianist and performer. She was Director of Music at St Paul’s Herne Hill (2018-20), and St Laurence Catford (2023), including working with children’s choirs and professional choral scholars. She frequently covers for several South London choral societies and will be leading the Surrey Heath Singers in winter 2024.

Elspeth’s experience in educational settings includes teaching piano and ensembles at James Allen’s Girls’ School and JASSPA, and accompanying exams, auditions and masterclasses for various organisations and summer schools. She has also delivered numerous interactive performance workshops for 1000s of primary school children, both with the Amalie Trio in East Lothian (funded by Creative Scotland), and in Lewisham for the arts charity Songeasel.