Born in Milan, she began studying piano at the age of 12. After graduating from high school with top marks, she graduated in piano at the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado with top marks, 110 cum laude, and a thesis on the development of the keyboard prelude from Bach to the 20th century. After that, she completed the Master’s Degree in piano performance at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Como, under the guidance of Maestro Pier Francesco Forlenza, with top marks, honors and an honorable mention, discussing a thesis on Claude Debussy.
After attending the crossover chamber music course with Maestro Francesco Zago at the IRMus in Milan, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Music and Performing Arts (musicological curriculum) with top marks, 110 cum laude, at the University of Milan, with a thesis on Górecki’s Third Symphony. Thanks to her musicological studies, Elena also deepened her knowledge of instrumentation and orchestration with Maestro Gianni Possio and explored the world of theater and music criticism. In 2022, she completed a Master’s Degree in chamber music at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Como studying with Maestro Luca Moretti, with top marks, presenting a trio project with flute and classical guitar dedicated to new music, with the collaboration of important composers (G. Colombo Taccani, S. Bianchera, B. Rettagliati, V. Zago…).
Alongside her studies, she also enthusiastically dedicates herself to teaching the instrument: she was a piano teacher at the “G.B. Grassi” musical high school in Lecco and at the Istituto Comprensivo Statale in Cremeno.
She is currently a piano teacher at the “P. Secco Suardo” high school musical in Bergamo.
In 2023 she won the public competition to obtain the teaching role in piano (D.D. 499/2020), qualifying her as a teacher in piano performance (AJ56 and AJ55, piano performance in secondary schools). In order to improve his teaching approach, in 2020 she obtained a first-level university Master’s Degree with top marks in Socio-pedagogical methodologies in artistic-musical teaching, with a thesis on improvisation as a teaching tool, and in 2021 she specialized in teaching through CLIL methodology in English with top marks (110/110).
In the same year, she also obtained C1 English language certification with top marks through the English Speaking Board.
She was awarded several times during her studies, winning numerous scholarships and obtaining several prizes in national and international competitions as a soloist and in chamber ensembles. In 2018, she was awarded the prestigious Exploit your talent prize by the University of Milan, a scholarship reserved for the best students at the university with particular artistic talents.
In addition to her solo repertoire, she is a pianist in several chamber music projects. In 2016 she founded KUBIN with electric guitarist Francesco Zago, a project born from the idea of performing original music, arrangements and transcriptions from classical to contaminated rock. Many original pieces by various composers are dedicated to the duo. Since 2018, she has been the pianist of the Eurythmia Quartet with cellist Emanuele Rigamonti, clarinetist Giona Pasquetto and violinist Sofia Manvati, which aims to explore the more advanced and lesser-visited modern and contemporary repertoire. In the same year, she recorded O.
Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps with the quartet. She also plays in the ensemble Ars Electrica together with Laura Catrani, Stefano Grasso, Elisa La Marca, Arturo Garra and Francesco Zago. With pianist Sandra Scurani, she founded the duo Lilith, with which she explores the modern and contemporary repertoire as a duo piano.
She plays frequently in Italy and abroad and performs for prestigious festivals and events in various halls and theaters (including Museo Teatrale alla Scala, Teatro Sociale di Como, Villa Litta di Lainate etc.).
In addition to her concert activity, in recent years she has recorded for numerous composers and records labels, including Da Vinci Publishing (Osaka), Ravello Records (USA), Preludio and Halidon Music. She also plays for various artistic initiatives within exhibitions, museums and presentations: in 2018 she played within the exhibition 999 questions and for the opening of the exhibition dedicated to Osvaldo Borsani, both at the Milan Triennale.
