Born in Temirtau, Kazakhstan, ELENA WELKER began piano lessons at the age of six. After finishing music high school, she began studying piano at the State Conservatory in Almaty in 1993, graduating with honors in 1998. She then worked there as a concert master. During this time, she successfully took part in several international competitions with various chamber ensembles. She has lived in Berlin since 2001 and travels throughout Germany as a solo pianist and with chamber ensembles. Under the motto “Some like it… crazy,” her piano program features humorous arrangements of Bach’s “Ave Maria,” Mozart’s “Rondo alla Turca,” Gershwin’s “Summertime,” and other classics from the worlds of classical music, jazz, and musicals.