Your First
String Quartet Choice
In & Around Calgary, CA
Let us enrich your event, wedding or celebration with our ensemble experience! Calgary’s Lily String Quartet is a dynamic chamber ensemble dedicated to excellence.
This Canadian group was formed in 2005, and is recognized by audiences and critics alike as a top ensemble of Western Canada.
Meet the Quartet
This bilingual string quartet from Calgary is comprised of Elisa Milner, Diane Lane, Patricia Higgins and Andrea Case, all of whom hold a position in the top tier of Canadian chamber musicians. Whether from the Alberta prairies, the city life of Calgary, or the beauty of Québec City, these women have brought together their varied experiences to produce a unified and tantalizing sound. With the members of Lily String Quartet having individually trained at North America’s premiere universities and conservatories, they have a wealth of knowledge and experience that enriches the quartet. LSQ performs regularly in Calgary and beyond. 2021 has found Lily embracing the new digital age with zoom dinner concerts for ATCO and new partnerships with Candlelight and Fever Events. Past concert work has included performances for the CBC, Sled Island Festival, The Lake Louise “Ice Magic” Festival, The Banff Centre, One Yellow Rabbit Theatre’s High Performance Rodeo, New Works Calgary, Harry Manx and Reuben and the Dark.
A hallmark of LSQ’s work is collaboration; the group members have performed with a jazz trio, multiple Calgary-area choirs, music programs, schools, Indie-rock groups, folk performers and an accordion player, just to name a few. Lily Quartet was invited to seminars at Juilliard School and Stanford University and performed in and helped develop an original musical with folk artist Lullaby Baxter. The group toured the BC interior in 2020, Alberta with the Hutchinson Andrew Trio in the spring of 2013, Eastern Canada in the fall of 2012 and Western Canada in 2008; LSQ has performed both in concert and at educational outreach programs in seven out of ten Canadian provinces.
ELISA MILNER
Elisa was born in Calgary, Alberta. She began to learn violin with the Suzuki Method at the age of four. Elisa attended the Academy of Music at Mount Royal College in Calgary where she studied with Joan Barrett of the Calgary Philharmonic. After moving with her family to Atlanta, Georgia, Elisa played with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra while studying violin with David Arenz of the Atlanta Symphony. Elisa then moved to Cleveland, Ohio and completed a Bachelors of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied violin with William Preucil, concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra. She then continued on to graduate studies at Kent State University studying with Ivan Chan and Kathy Meng-Robinson of the Miami Quartet as well as Semmy Stahlhammer, concertmaster of the Royal Swedish Opera. In 2006, Elisa and her husband Chip relocate to Grande Prairie, Alberta where Elisa taught violin at Grande Prairie Regional College, while Chip directed the freestyle skiing program. In Fall 2010, they relocated to Calgary for Elisa to play with the Calgary Philharmonic and Chip to coach freestyle skiing at Canada Olympic Park. Elisa loves teaching the violin and has maintained an active teaching studio for over 12 years. She currently teaches violin lessons long distance to Grande Prairie with the aid of video conferencing technology. She also plays regularly with the Lily String quartet, the Red Deer Symphony and the Calgary Philharmonic. Elisa also enjoys improvising and playing music at her church. Elisa also has three active children, two boys and a girl!
Diane Lane
Diane was born in Claresholm Alberta, DIANE LANE began her violin studies in Lethbridge before attending the Mount Royal Conservatory of Music in Calgary. Then Diane graduated from McGill University with her Bachelor of Music degree under the tutelage of Yehonatan Berick. Diane continued her studies with Edmond Agopian at the University of Calgary and graduated with a Master’s degree in violin performance in 2003. Diane is a founding member of the Lily String Quartet. In 2007, Diane attended seminars with the quartet at The Juilliard School of Music and Stanford University. She is Assistant Concertmaster of the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra and has an active teaching studio at Mount Royal Conservatory. Diane has adjudicated for a number of festivals in Alberta and is an active orchestral and chamber performer, playing with ensembles in and around Calgary.
PATRICIA HIGGINS
Patricia comes from Quebec and is the violist of the Lily String Quartet, a dynamic chamber ensemble. She studied with Francois Paradis, principal violist of the Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec. She obtained her Master’s degree in viola at the Music Conservatory of Quebec. Patricia is an experienced teacher and has played with many orchestras including the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the Sherbrooke Symphony Orchestra, the Saguenay Lac St-Jean Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
ANDREA CASE
Andrea has a Master’s Degree in cello performance from McGill University where she studied on scholarship with Antonio Lysy. She spent her childhood in Calgary where she studied with John Kadz at the Mount Royal Conservatory. She made her solo debut in 1997 after winning the Calgary Concerto Competition. Andrea is the cellist of the Lily String Quartet, a group that is often heard live on CBC and has performed across Canada and the United States. As well as being an avid chamber musician, Andrea is sought after as an orchestral musician, coach and teacher. She has adjudicated at festivals throughout Alberta and British Columbia, and teaches at the Amici String Program and summer school. Andrea and her husband live in Medicine Hat with their sons, who keep them running!
Repertoire List
Please see our repertoire lists (LINK) for weddings and events. If you don’t see what you would like, let us know, as we may have it from a recent event or can help you find and purchase a quartet arrangement of your choice. In order to comply with copyright laws, any new selection we perform must be given to us as a string quartet arrangement. We are not able to arrange songs for the quartet.
*Please note that a list of our concert repertoire is available upon request for concerts and series bookings.
*When choosing from our popular list, please note that there will be no lyrics when we perform. If the words to a song are your favorite part of a selection, please consider rather choosing something with a melody that you enjoy, as this element is translated better in instrumental performance.