Scottish violist Carol Ella has been a member of the Dante Quartet since 2021.
At the age of 21, she began playing with the London Symphony Orchestra after winning a place on their string scheme. She was subsequently awarded the LSO Promis Award for Outstanding Contribution, and became a member of the orchestra in 2018.
CAROL ELLA
Prior to joining the LSO, Carol spent ten years as a member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Her twenty orchestral years took her all over the globe, performing under the batons of such great conductors as Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, André Previn, Ricardo Muti, Mstislav Rostropovich, Valery Gergiev, Oliver Knussen, Sir Simon Rattle, and Sir Colin Davis.
Carol has been invited as Guest Principal Viola to many of the the leading UK orchestras, including the BBC Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Knussen Chamber Orchestra, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Opera North, and English National Opera. She is also a regular violist of the John Wilson Orchestra and his Sinfonia of London, and performs frequently with Scottish Ensemble and Manchester Collective.
As a tutor, Carol has taken classes at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music, and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Away from the concert platform, Carol has enjoyed playing for musicals in London’s West End. She has recorded numerous soundtracks for film and tv (including some Harry Potter films), and has also recorded albums with the likes of Neil Diamond, Emeli Sandé, and Sir Paul McCartney. She has performed live with various rock and pop stars, including Ed Sheeran, and a run of concerts with Barbra Streisand at London’s O2 Arena.
Carol plays on a viola by Christian Bayon, modelled on a viola by Carlo Antonia Testore from 1741.
