Gerald Elias

Gerald Elias leads a dual life as an internationally acclaimed musician and award-winning author. A former violinist with the Boston Symphony and associate concertmaster of the Utah Symphony, Elias, as a performer, conductor, composer, and teacher has concertized on five continents. A faculty member of the University of Utah School of Music since 1989, he was the founder and first violinist of the Abramyan String Quartet (1993-2003) and has been music director of the Vivaldi by Candlelight chamber series in Salt Lake City since 2004.

His Daniel Jacobus mystery series, soon to see its seventh and eighth installments, takes place in the dark corners of the classical music world. His debut novel, Devil’s Trill, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. His second mystery, Danse Macabre won the 2010 first prize in fiction from the Utah Center of the Book. Both have been recorded as unique audio books in which Elias performs musical clues.

Elias has also authored a children’s story, “Maestro the Potbellied Pig” in English and Spanish, a short fiction anthology, and his short stories and essays have graced prestigious journals and anthologies. His 2018 essay, “War & Peace. And Music,” the subject of his TEDx2019SaltLakeCity performance, won first prize in creative nonfiction essay from the Utah Division of Arts & Museums and is included in the recently-released second edition of his memoir, Symphonies & Scorpions. Most recently he compiled and edited Getting Through: Tales of Corona and Community, a collection of stories from various authors, the profits from which will be donated to the Red Cross.

Gerald Elias was born on Long Island in 1952, attended Oberlin College and Conservatory, and graduated from Yale University and the Yale School of Music with a BA and MM in 1975. A Utahn since 1988, he currently resides in Salt Lake City and West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He maintains a vibrant concert career while continuing to expand his literary horizons.