Elliott Dunlap has a colorful musical background. Although he began studying piano at an early age, he first gained attention as a cellist. As a teenager he became a fellow of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., performed within the orchestra at selected concerts and went on to win the H. Stevens Brewster Memorial Award. He first arrived in San Francisco in 1991 and became a student of Bonnie Hampton at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music. After deciding to concentrate on the piano with William Corbett-Jones at San Francisco State University Mr. Dunlap furthered his studies in London at The Royal Academy of Music and King’s College. Mr. Dunlap has performed in Master Classes for such world-renowned artists as Neville Marinner, Lynn Harrell, Janos Starker and Karl Ulrich Schnabel. As a pianist, Mr. Dunlap identifies with the second generation of Romantic pianists (Paderewski, Pachmann, Friedmann, Cortot) and the degree of artistic freedom in their playing that is largely lost today.

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"The limpid tone and delicate variety of color in Mr. Dunlap's rendition of Chopin's Berceuse impressed me profoundly. It was a performance which cherished the coloristic capabilities of the piano in a very special way."

Richard Troeger
Harpsichordist, clavichordist, fortepianist, author

“Mr. Elliott Dunlap is one of the most gifted pianists I have ever met. His interpretations are based on sound instinct and deep musical thought.”

William Corbett-Jones
Professor of Music, San Francisco State University

“Both exquisite colors and passionate heroics are abundant in Mr. Dunlap’s music-making…a true romantic!”

Dr. Paul Floyd
Assistant Conductor, Los Angeles Opera

Bachelors with Honours in Music, King’s College, London, 1998–2001
  • concentrations in Music History and Analysis
  • dissertation on John Cage’s Norton Lectures

Piano Performance, The Royal Academy of Music, London, 1997–1998

San Francisco State University, 1994-1997
  • liberal arts coursework, with emphasis in Piano Performance; cello scholarship

Cello Performance (scholarship), San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco, 1991–1992

Youth Fellow, National Symphony Orchestra, Washington D.C., 1989–1991
  • orchestral training program

Recipient, H. Stevens Brewster Award, National Symphony Orchestra, 1991
  • given annually to most outstanding Fellowship Student