The Elan Duo was formed in Connecticut in 2010 by British violinist Andrew Smith and Bulgarian pianist Elina Christova. The duo immediately launched into Project Beethoven performing the composer's ten violin sonatas in a cycle of concerts throughout the US. The project culminated in 2012 with a recording of the sonatas at Radford University in Virginia for the PnOVA Recordings label produced by sound engineer Bruce Mahin for MahinMedia LLC. The recordings are now available on Amazon.com, iTunes, and cdbaby.com

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ANDREW SMITH | violin

Hailed by critics for his “virtuoso playing,” British violinist Andrew Smith has appeared in concert and recital at home and abroad, including here in the U.S. at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and in Chicago’s and Detroit’s orchestra halls. Andrew’s multifaceted career combines performance with teaching and recording.

An accomplished chamber musician, he was Artistic Director of the Stamford International Music Festival and is now Executive Director of the Suzuki Music Schools. In addition to his work in classical music, where he has premiered works by some of the leading composers of our time, he records for television and film completing over fifty projects annually.

ELINA CHRISTOVA | piano

Elina is a classical/contemporary pianist with a special interest in Alexander Scriabin, whose complete published piano music she has been exclusively performing for the past few years. Upcoming events include all-Scriabin recitals in Fairfield and Norwalk and a concert at Weill Recital Hall in May, 2017.

A soloist with the Razgrad Symphony, the Sofia Music Academy, and the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras, she has also performed at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, and the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.

She has made recordings for the Bulgarian National Radio, Bulgarian National Television, and performed on two CDs of music by American composers Scott Hiltzik and Marcia Preston.

As a Fulbright scholar she graduated from the Master’s and Doctoral Programs at Manhattan School of Music in the studio of Dr. Solomon Mikowsky and has taught at Warsaw University, Sacred Heart University, the Music School of Westport, and the Stamford Music & Arts Academy. Elina currently teaches in her private studio and engages in collaborative projects.