Companions in Creation

Immerse yourself in the melodic world of Llewellyn Osborne, a virtuoso jazz violinist with a passion for pushing musical boundaries. Currently enrolled in PhD in experimental composition, Llewellyn brings a unique perspective to her performances, compositions, and teaching. Discover the magic of jazz through soulful melodies.

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Llewellyn Osborne (El) is a classically trained jazz violinist and professional composer whose eclectic work spans neoclassical, jazz, avant-garde, and beyond. She earned a Master’s degree in Jazz Violin from the Australian National University in 2020 and has been a vital part of the Canberra jazz scene for over a decade.

Currently pursuing a PhD at the Sydney Conservatorium, El explores the theme of inspiration in composition. A multiinstrumentalist and software enthusiast, her ability to play cello, viola, harp, and flute allow her to compose across orchestral and experimental jazz contexts. Since relocating to Melbourne, she has composed string arrangements for various student orchestras, one of which was played in melbourne's prestigious Hamer Hall in 2023, as well as Bunjil Place theatre in 2024. El has performed in various festivals, including Melbourne International Jazz Festival alongside renowned musicians such as Tamara Murphy, Darrin Farrugia, the Lee Jones Quintet, and Mark Fitzgibbons.

In addition to playing jazz violin in the Melbourne Metropolitan Hot Jazz Orchestra (performing at Wangaratta Jazz Festival this year), El plays contrabass in the Dandenong Ranges Orchestra.

Llewellyn’s diverse musical interests extend to teaching and performing across various disciplines, including Greek rebetika, Irish folk, electronica, and experimental jazz. She regularly collaborates with folk outfits like Lothlorian and employs software in her composition process, creating innovative soundscapes. El is actively involved in video game composition projects, where she merges her varied influences to craft immersive auditory experiences.

With a passion for both performance and education, Llewellyn continues to push the boundaries of her artistry, making her a versatile and dynamic presence in the Australian music landscape.

Her work has been positively reviewed by various institutional adjuncts, as well as jazz greats including jazz violinist Christian Howes.

“A former Associate Professor of the Berklee College of Music, I've been widely

established as a leading jazz violinist and educator, having won several awards or

honours in the last three years including the Jazz Journalists Association, Downbeat

Critics Polls, and Jazz Times Expanded Critics Poll, among others. I have also recorded

or performed with a wide array of the world's leading jazz musicians. Feel free to see

my website www.christianhowes.com

to learn more about me and put my comments in context.

If you have heard El's work samples, you will not need me to confirm for you that she

is undoubtedly a highly accomplished and sophisticated jazz musician . What you may

or may not be aware of his how rare it is to find a violinist who possesses this degree of

sophistication in the jazz world. It is extremely rare. I can tell you this because I am

closely connected within the small international community of jazz string players. El is

among the upper echelon within this community and as such, she is uniquely qualified

to benefit both the string world and the jazz world at large via the project she is

proposing.

Jazz violinists are often confronted by misconceptions that others hold concerning why

the violin is rare in jazz. The main reason the violin is rare in jazz is because of the lack

of study and teaching done by violinists at the level done by other instrumentalists. El's

proposal to study 'inflection" is very appropriate because it aims to tap into the essence

of jazz language by studying elements of inflection- many elements of inflection can

crossover to many instruments- for example, a violin can mimic the inflection of piano,

trumpet, voice, etc… not only will this help to bring to light how string players can

better understand jazz language, but it will be universally helpful across the jazz

community.

Christian Howes

Monday November 2nd, 2015