New Haven Symphony Orchestra
The tightly focused orchestra under conductor William Boughton played with such care, warmth and rhythmic variety that the performance would have been rewarding even without a soloist at center stage. But it had one, the remarkable Elissa Lee Koljonen, a violinist of charm and technical virtuosity.
New Haven Register
Bilbao Symphony Orchestra
Un violín de sonido cálido, tocado por una buena solista, Elissa Lee Koljonen, de arco ligero, excelente en la consecución de gradaciones de dinámica, expuso con carácter el atractivo, pero complejo concierto para violín de Walton, tan cargado de melodías extensas.
El Correo
Reading Symphony
Koljonen played with every fiber of her being, giving an intense, powerful performance of this highly emotional showcase for violin. She was most eloquent in her sensuous lower range, which had the depth of a viola, during the first two movements.
Reading Eagle
Curtis Symphony Orchestra
She is...a violinist of immense presence. Technique is a given, but with a purpose. Case in point: the many fleeting moments of bending pitch and changing tone for expressive purposes. This was a knowing audience, so it might have detected her exquisite timing and precision. Or perhaps all it sensed was a violinist of considerable soul.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Orchestra
The best performance of this concerto I’ve heard featured Viktoria Mullova as the soloist. This performance by Koljonen belonged in the same class. It was so good that a review of the performance would essentially be a description of the concerto. The concerto is supposed to do quite a lot, and in Koljonen’s hands it did it all.
Broad Street Review