Improving lives with music

“My first performances were in public spaces such as libraries and shopping centres,” recalls Sterling Elliott. He was deeply fascinated by the direct impact of music on this kind of wide audience, and it left a lasting impression on him. “Even now, I tend to look for settings where a really varied range of people of all ages and backgrounds can experience music together.” This is why the musician, who grew up in Virginia, is also fond of working with children – in various workshop formats or schools – in addition to his own artistic activity. “The impact that just one encounter with music can have is so impressive.” 

Even in Hamburg, he not only performed at the popular ‘Teatime Classics’ series, but also captured the hearts of a dozen or so children at an instrument workshop in the Elbphilharmonie. Firmly convinced that encounters with music can be life-changing, this is what drives him and gives him hope: improving lives through music.

The Elliott Family String Quartet 

“The cello was already waiting for me the moment I was born,” claims Sterling Elliott. “In my family, with my mother, my brother and my sister, we already had three violins so it was obvious that I would become a cellist to make up the numbers for the Elliott Family String Quartet.” He says this with the hint of a smile, but joking aside, he is entirely serious about how much making music with his family means to him. Now over twenty years since they first appeared together on stage as a quartet, the family four-piece enjoys sharing their enthusiasm for making music together. This can especially be seen when the family performs in the various chamber music workshops they host, as well as their concert performances.