Youth Orchestra
Elsa Heaton
Elsa Heaton is a home-educated high school sophomore who studies with violinist Hannah Ji. This is her fourth season with the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Heaton made her solo debut in spring 2026 with the Town and Country Symphony Orchestra as a Rising Talents Concerto Competition winner. In the 2025/26 season, she was seated as Co-Concertmaster of the YO. In 2024, she was awarded Honorable Mention in the junior string division of the Missouri Music Teachers National Association Competition. Over recent summers, Heaton has attended several music festivals, including Center Stage Strings and the Arianna Chamber Music Festival. She has had the privilege to work with pedagogues such as Danielle Belen, Fabiola Kim, Grigory Kalinovsky, and members of the Arianna String Quartet.
Heaton began violin lessons at the age of four and has played in several orchestras and ensembles of the Community Music School of Webster University, most recently the Preparatory Program. Last fall, she played in the Chamber Academy of the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis. Aside from music, she enjoys working out, reading, sketching, and thrifting with her older sister.
Heaton is grateful for all her music teachers, both past and present. She would especially like to thank Angie Smart and Vera Parkin. She is also blessed to have parents and grandparents who support and encourage her music education. Above all, she gives thanks to God, and seeks to glorify Him in all her endeavors.
