Biography

    Praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for her “haunting sound,” horn player Elizabeth Upton has performed around the world, performing in operas, symphonies and chamber music concerts throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. After growing up outside of Chicago, Illinois, she received her Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory studying with former principal horn of the St. Louis Symphony, Roland Pandolfi and her Master of Music from the Yale School of Music under the tutelage of renowned solo and chamber musician, William Purvis. Elizabeth completed a Professional Studies Certificate at the Colburn School Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, California where she studied with former principal horn of the San Francisco Symphony, David Krehbiel and the current principal horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Andrew Bain.

Elizabeth has played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Santa Barbara Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Modesto Symphony, and Santa Barbara Opera. She has traveled on tour with the LAPhil to the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and has also performed with the Macau Orchestra for their Portugal and China tours. In Southern California, at the Dolby Theater, Pantages Theater, Pasadena Playhouse and Segertstrom Center for the Arts she has played a variety of Broadway musicals including My Fair Lady, Les Miserable, Love Never Dies, Phantom of the Opera and A Little Night Music. 

   An avid contemporary music supporter, Elizabeth has performed with Los Angeles based new music ensemble WildUp numerous times and is a founding member of NOVUS NY and Le Maintenant Duo with whom she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, Zankel Hall, and Trinity Church in NYC. She has previously appeared at the Ojai Music Festival under John Adams and has played at the Cabrillo Festival in Santa Cruz.

She has performed and recorded with many commercial and pop artists including at Coachella with Ariana Grande and the Dolby Theater with Il Volo and Il Divo among others. She can be heard on many tv, movie and videogame recordings including Fargo, Christopher Robin and the Fortnite games. 

Her chamber music experience includes being a member of the Los Angeles based all the women horn ensemble Playdate, comprised of the members from the LAPhil, Santa Barbara Orchestra and top studio musicians. She is currently on the board for the Eastern Sierra Symphony in Mammoth Lakes, CA.

Elizabeth was on faculty at the Colburn Community School of the Performing Arts where she maintained a private lesson studio and coached the CSPA beginning group horn classes for their Jumpstart Program. Previously, before CSPA she was also the horn coach at Malibu High School and Valley Christian High School in Cerritos, CA. Recently, she had also been one of the two California All-State horn judges.

In her spare time, Elizabeth can be found spending time with her son and husband, doing pilates or cooking a new bean recipe as a Rancho Gordo bean club member.