Praised for her “clarion tone and technical aplomb” (Chicago Classical Review), Eleanor Bartsch is a member of the first violin section of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra. Bartsch is also first violinist of the beloved Chicago-based Kontras Quartet with whom she has toured the US and Europe, released two albums, and frequently appears on classical WFMT Chicago 98.7. 

Prior to her appointment at Lyric, Bartsch was concertmaster of the Dubuque Symphony and associate concertmaster of the Elgin Symphony. As a soloist, she has performed with many regional Midwest orchestras including the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Dubuque Symphony, Elgin Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, and many others. She appears as a frequent and sought-after guest in the nation’s top orchestras, chamber festivals, and concert series. 

A passionate educator and ambassador of music, Bartsch is Professor of Violin and Head of Strings at Elmhurst University. She has taught hundreds of music learners of all ages as a private instructor, chamber and orchestral coach, masterclass clinician, pre-concert lecturer, and through participation in many meaningful community engagement initiatives. 

Originally from St. Paul, MN, Bartsch did her schooling at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Paul Collins Distinguished Graduate Fellow and Perlman Undergraduate Chamber Music Fellow studying violin performance under David Perry and business entrepreneurship. She spent summers studying at the Aspen Music Festival under Paul Kantor. She returns to Madison, WI each summer as co-founder and violinist of the Willy Street Chamber Players summer music festival, now in its eleventh season.