Elena is a choral conductor and music educator, passionate about and committed to empowering young people through choral music.
Since autumn 2021, Elena has been the Choral Lead for the In Harmony Opera North (IHON) programme, where she delivers LKS2 classroom choir sessions, has written the Choral Strand of the IHON Curriculum, and directs the In Harmony Opera North Choir (extracurricular UKS2 school choir).
From September 2025, Elena is the new Music Director of the Opera North Children’s Chorus. She has also occasionally worked with the Opera North Youth Company’s older ensembles – Youth Chorus and Young Voices – supporting rehearsals and creative projects.
Her interest in education through choral music has led her to diverse roles, including Section Coach for the National Youth Choir’s 9 -15 Choir course in April 2025, workshop leader for the Cervantes Institute and Opera North in Leeds, and artistic director and workshop leader for several youth and children’s choir organisations in Spain from 2015 to 2020.
Originally from Asturias, Spain, Elena holds an MA in Choral Conducting from the University of Birmingham, where she studied with Simon Halsey CBE and Julian Wilkins. She began her conducting training with the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD), mentored primarily by Amy Bebbington.
Committed to her professional development for the benefit of the singers she works with, Elena has been part of the Ambassador Programme of The Benedetti Foundation in its Creative Learning strand since 2024 and is currently pursuing several certifications focused on vocal pedagogy and vocal health.