Paula Sokol-Elliott - Violin

Paula began violin studies at the age of five with her father, the renowned teacher and conductor Vilem Sokol.  She served as concertmaster of the Seattle Youth Symphony under the direction of her father for several years.  After attending the University of Washington on a Breecheman Scholarship, Paula graduated with honors from Indiana University where she studied with the legendary violinist and teacher, Josef Gingold.  She subsequently joined the Minnesota Orchestra at the invitation of Stanislaw Skrowaczewski where she recorded the complete works of Ravel and Bartok for orchestra.  She performed with the Vancouver Symphony, and as associate concertmaster of the Kalamazoo Symphony.

Paula won the Saunderson Award at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition in Los Angeles, CA, and later formed the Leclair String Quartet, which toured and recorded for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  Her Chamber Music coaches and teachers included Jaime Laredo, Ruggiero Ricci, Michael Kuttner of the Hungarian Quartet, Robert Koff of the Juliard Quartet, and Bernie Goldschmit from the Cleveland Orchestra.

Paula has performed with the West Point Grey Chamber Players, the Vancouver Chamber Players, the Bach Festival at Mt Angel, OR, the Michigan Chamber Players, and the Chelsea Chamber Players.  She has been on the faculties of the Marrowstone Music Festival, McPhail College, the New Brunswick Music Festival, the Rocky Mountain Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, CO, and the Meadowmount School of Music.  Solo appearances include the Seattle Youth Symphony, The Seattle Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Slatkin, the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra, and the Flint Symphony where she received a glowing review for performance of John Williams' masterful violin solo "Remembrances" from Stephen Speilberg’s Schindler’s List.

Currently Paula is director of the St Thomas String Ensemble in Ann Arbor, MI, and continues to perform with the Ann Arbor Symphony, and as acting concertmaster of the Flint Symphony.  She coaches chamber music ensembles, maintains a private studio, and in the summer teaches at the Interharmony International Music Festival in Hinterzarten, Schwarzwald, Germany.

Paula is the mother of four daughters, all of whom have pursued the arts, including film, art, dance and music.