Meet the Performers
Elliott Markow - Violin
Elliott Markow, violinist, is a native of the Boston area. His first solo appearance, at age eleven, was with the Boston Pops. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University, which he attended on a full four-year merit scholarship. While still at the university, Mr. Markow became a member of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and a substitute member of the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony. His teachers included William Kroll, Emanuel Borok, Berl Senofsky, and legendary Jascha Heifetz.
Mr. Markow was a member of the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra where he was a member of both the first violin section (including as acting Assistant Concertmaster) and the viola section. His numerous solo appearances include the first American orchestral performance of Paganini’s “La Primavera”. Recordings include two CD’s with the New Orleans Novelty Orchestra and a CD of the Walter Damrosch Violin Sonata. Mr. Markow is former Concertmaster of Symphony New Hampshire and maintains a private teaching studio.
TingTing Yao - Piano
Chinese-American pianist Tingting Yao is an avid collaborative artist and chamber musician, currently serving as Staff Pianist at Sam Houston State University. She has performed across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and China, and is a frequent collaborator with the Covert Ensemble alongside saxophonists Dave Camwell and Katerina Pavlikova. Together they have created over 40 arrangements, premiered new works, and toured widely, with highlights including a recording with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, the premiere of Jenni Brandon’s The Sky Between Us, and second prize in the 2024 American Prize in Chamber Music Performance.
Yao also performs with violist Amaro Dubois as the Dubois-Yao Duo, whose albums Adoration and Luz spotlight works by female, African American, and Latin composers. The Duo has earned international recognition, winning the 2021 World Classical Music Awards and placing second in the King’s Peak International Music Competition. A graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Yao has performed at venues such as Town Hall Symphony Hall and St John’s Smith Square in London, worked at Lang Lang Music World in Shenzhen, and holds degrees from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, University of Melbourne, and Tongji University.