Elina Faskhi is one of the most exciting young cellists in Australia, known for her “strikingly powerful and melodious” (Classic Melbourne) expression. Born in Ufa, Russia into a family of musicians, she studied at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Prof. Igor Gavrysh, Prof. Irons Kandinskaya and Vladimir Balshin (Borodin Quartet). She has been a member of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, and also held a position as Assistant Principal Cellist at the Hyogo Performing Arts Centre Orchestra in Japan.

Elina is a winner of many international competitions such as the Knushevitsky International Cello Competition, the Sergei Prokofiev Chamber Music Competition and the Leopold and Mstislav Rostropovich Violin and Cello Competition. She has received scholarships from foundations such as the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bashkortostan and Russian Federation, and the Vladimir Spivakov International Foundation. She has performed in some of the most prestigious halls in Russia, Europe and Japan as a soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Yaroslavl Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Saratov Philharmonic Orchestra.