Elizabeth
Sommers
fiddle, viola d’arco, violin, renaissance violin
Roots
I grew up in Rochester, New York.
Study
Seeking a thorough and challenging education in early music, I came to the Schola at the age of eighteen. Before that, I had studied at the Jacobs School of Music for a year.
Professional
I am very happy with my bachelor’s degree, and I still want to get a master’s. I am very happy that I have more and more opportunities to perform.
Why
It was an obvious choice. A passion like mine demands to be lived out.
Elective Affinities
I am especially inspired by the poetry of Seamus Heaney and Rainer Maria Rilke, proofreading and translation work, autumn walks, rainy weather, and the sound of bagpipes.





2026
June
Ach, wie grausam – A que vile
Songs for a mysterious ladySa Nydeggkirche, Bern
Su Barfüsserkirche, Historisches Museum Basel
September
Quodlibet
Puzzles, fun and gamesKirche Reigoldswil &
Barfüsserkirche Basel
October
The Queen’s Singers
The extravagant court chapel of the TudorsMartinskirche
Basel
November
Byrd & the Baron
A secret ChristmasBarfüsserkirche
Historisches Museum Basel