In most respects, the Canadian-American cellist Elinor Frey is an all-round serious insect when it comes to classical music.

Raised in Seattle, a life in music was always a demonstrably viable option, thanks in part to the path blazed by her aunt, Barbara Thornton, an internationally celebrated singer and performer of medieval music.

Aged eight, Frey agitated for, and eventually received, a cello. She is just as passionately attached to the instrument today, having forged a reputation as a player, recording artist, teacher and researcher into early cello music, especially that of Giuseppe Clemente Dall’Abaco. In 2022, she released her most recent CD, Early Italian Cello Concertos, a collaboration with Canada’s Rosa Barocca orchestra.

Elinor Frey. Photo © Elizabeth Delage

“The cello has always been a big part of who I am,” Frey tells Limelight. “And it’s something I’ve never really deviated from, because, right from the start, it was me who wanted to play, me who asked for lessons. And because I had a twin sister, it was the thing that set me apart from her, which seemed very important at that time. I wouldn’t even let her touch it! It...