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Born and raised in West Norfolk around King's Lynn, Elizabeth was educated at Springwood High School and Sixth Form where she learned violin, clarinet and piano. She studied music at Durham University in 1998, including performance, composition, musical history, electro acoustics, ethnomusicology and practical experience of a wide range of musics from around the world; playing gamelan, shakuhachi, and singing Indian classical music with Gurukul in Newcastle and Deli.
Having graduated in 2001 Elizabeth worked for the community music organisation Norfolk Music Works, as an apprentice, administrator and workshop leader. While there she was trained in African drumming, samba, steel pans and community composition.
In 2002 Elizabeth travelled to Madagascar with the conservation group Frontier, living on the south west coast for 9 weeks, learning to dive and doing marine surveys. Later that year and again in 2003 she crewed on the Tall Ship Swan fan Makkum travelling around northern Europe, the Baltic, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.
Elizabeth came back onto dry land in 2003, living in Holland for a while before coming back to the UK to resume a career in music in 2004. She now works as a peripetetic teacher of violin, viola, clarinet and guitar in schools around Essex, and as a freelance class room music instructor and private instrumental teacher and workshop leader.
Early Music has been a part of Elizabeth's life since she grew up with her father's kit-made spinet and record collection, but her interest became more active when she joined the King's Lynn Waites on shawm. Since then she has taken up a wide range of early instruments including viella, harp, bagpipes and 6-key clarinet, but the shawm family remain her firm favourite and are becoming her main instruments. For a full list of instruments played see the instruments page.
Elizabeth now plays with duo Wyldes Noyse, who cater for everything from outdoor processions and fairs to weddings, concerts, illustrated talks and school workshops. She is the founder and musical director of the Colchester Waits Shawm Band and also plays with the Norfolk Gallery Quire and the King's Lynn Waites, and as a solo artist for smaller period events.