Victoria Elena

Victoria was named after the heroine in Nobel Prize winning author Knut Hamsun's novel of the same name. She was born August 28, 1992 in New York.

When she was two years old she demanded a violin, "a real one - one that makes music like mommy's!" She finally received one for her third birthday, but wasn't allowed to start playing until the ripe old age of five.

A few months later she performed in a Master Class held by Louise Behrend. She has since performed in Master Classes with members of the New York Philharmonic including concert master Glenn Dicterow, and was immediately invited to perform at Caramoor in New York in a Master Class with the Miro Quartet.

Victoria Elena was awarded first prize at the first World Violin Competition in Brentonico, Italy in August 2004. The competition attracted 78 violinists from 22 countries.

In May 2004 she was a top prize winner at the International Kocian Violin Competition and in addition she was awarded the Kocian Prize itself for best interpretation of Kocian's music. In April 2006 Victoria Elena won First Prize at the Sparre Olsen Competition in Norway, and in November the same year she won First Prize in Solo Violin as well as First Prize in Chamber Music playing at the National Youth Competition of Norway.

Victoria Elena has been performing frequently both as a soloist and with her piano trio. In May of 2002 she went on a highly successful joint recital tour of Southern Norway with her mother, where she received excellent reviews and extensive media coverage, and was instantly invited back for 2004 and 2006. In 2004, 2005 and 2006 Victoria Elena performed at the Valdres Festival in Norway, as well as in master classes with Stephan Barratt-Due, Detlef Hahn and Gordon Back. Recent appearances include Queens College and CAMI Hall in New York City and the Prince Carl Palais in Heidelberg, Germany. In 2005 Victoria Elena was selected to participate at Margess International in Switzerland, where some of the world's top young musicians meet, and where she was one of the few chosen to perform at St. Peter's Church in Zurich as well as at the gala in Zuoz which was released on CD.

In 2007 she was invited to join the Perlman Music Program.  Victoria Elena is a student of Stefan Milenkovich at the Juilliard Pre-College. She studied with Zakhar Bron during her year in London, and pursues her regular studies with Ragin Wenk-Wolff. Her teachers also include Alf Richard Kraggerud at the Barratt Due Music Institute in Oslo, Norway, Anca Nicolau at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School, where her chamber music coaches include Gerald Robbins and Frances Magnes.

While living in London in 2002-2003 she was invited to play with the National Children’s Orchestra, and studied acting at the Central School for Speech and Drama.