Elizabeth Sellars is an Australian violinist known for her refined tonal palette, expressive clarity and deeply considered musical voice. Her performances are shaped by a belief in music’s power to connect, uplift and reveal something essential beneath the surface. As first violinist of Flinders Quartet and an active chamber musician, she performs extensively across Australia and internationally. Her work spans major ensembles, recordings and collaborations, alongside a longstanding commitment to teaching and artistic development.

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Born in Melbourne, Elizabeth studied piano with Nehama Patkin and violin with Andre Hadges, Arkady Feldman and Nathan Gutman. As a student at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, she was a member of the Birubi Quartet, mentored by Marco Van Pagee. Her early development was supported by numerous scholarships and awards, including those from the Lady Northcote Trust, the Australian Business Foundation, the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Trust, the Australian Musicians Guild, the English Speaking Union and the Musical Society of Victoria.

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Further studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London included violin with David Takeno and chamber music with the Gabrieli and Takács Quartets.  During this time, she received the Martin Trust and Countess of Munster Scholarships, as well as the Louis Peskai and Maurice Warshaw prizes. As a member of the Techinski Quartet, she won the inaugural John Tunnell Trust Award and the Royal Overseas League Ensemble Prize and Miller Trophy, recorded for the BBC, toured Scotland and the Channel Islands, and appeared as group soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. She also performed widely throughout Europe and Japan with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

In Australia, Elizabeth has appeared as guest Concertmaster and guest Principal Violin with the Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, Orchestra Victoria, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, and has toured with the Australian World Orchestra.

A highly regarded chamber musician, she performs regularly for Musica Viva, at international festivals and on radio broadcasts worldwide. Her recordings span labels including Move, Naxos, ABC Classic, Toccata Classics and Tzadik. Collaboration with pianist Kenji Fujimura, The Messiaen Nexus—featuring the world premiere recording of George Benjamin’s Sonata—was named Limelight Chamber Music Recording of the Year (2014). Recent and forthcoming projects include recordings of Australian horn trios with Quercus and world premiere recordings by Arthur Benjamin and William Shields.

Elizabeth is First Violinist of Flinders Quartet and a regular collaborator with Ensemble Liaison. She is also a founding member of Sutherland Trio, with Caroline Almonte and Molly Kadarauch, and Quercus Trio, with Carla Blackwood and Rhodri Clarke. Deeply committed to new music, her work includes commissions and premieres by composers such as Katy Abbott, Melody Eötvös, Olli Mustonen, Julian Yu, Dominik Karski, Paul Stanhope, Paul Dean, Chris Dench, Andrew Ford, Gordon Kerry, Paul Grabowsky and Mary Finsterer.

For sixteen years, Elizabeth served as Lecturer in Violin and Co-ordinator of Strings at Monash University, playing a key role in developing a dynamic and forward-looking strings program. She holds a PhD focused on the stylistic interpretation of the English composer George Frederick Pinto and is the author of a Bloomsbury chapter on the Polish-Jewish violinist Nathan Gutman (2026). Her teaching has also extended to the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and the Australian National Academy of Music; she now maintains a private teaching studio.

Appearances as a speaker and panelist include the International Academy of Musical Arts, the Australian Violin Pedagogy Conference, AUSTA, the University of Auckland, the International Akaroa Music Festival and the Pettman Junior Academy, alongside service as a juror for leading international competitions.

Elizabeth performs on an 1876 Eugenio Degani violin from Veneto, renowned for its depth, warmth and complexity of tone.