Philipp Elssner

Violin

German-American violinist, violist, and music theorist Philipp Elssner is a member of Maine’s renowned DaPonte String Quartet, with whom he has been performing since June 2024. Philipp received his bachelor’s degree in 2021 from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), where he studied violin with Jaime Laredo and Jan Sloman. In 2024 he received his master’s degree in music theory from McGill University in Montreal, where he also studied violin with Jinjoo Cho. Philipp has performed across the United States and Canada, and at summer festivals including Encore Chamber Music, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. As a member of the Lake Trio, he has recently played to sold out audiences in Maine and Michigan. He also serves as artistic director of Belfast Chamber Music, founded in 2024, which provides the Belfast area with regular access to world-class classical music.

As an academic, Philipp has presented research on classical and popular music at national and international conferences. His master’s thesis, “Groove in the Mix: Spatial Manipulation in Groove-Based Popular Music, 1970–Present,” focuses on the embodied effects of stereo mixing practices in funk, soul, disco, and Hip Hop. As an educator, he has taught music theory and musicianship courses at McGill University and has taught violin and music theory privately to students of varying levels. He seeks to nurture the unique musical voices of his students.