Elaine studied Modern Languages and trained as a theatre director before moving into opera in 1992. Opera and music theatre credits include La Boheme and La Traviata (Opera Holland Park), Cosi fan tutte and Eugene Onegin (Diva Opera), Le Docteur Miracle (Festivale Les Azuriales), The Rape of Lucretia (Latvian National Opera and Hermitage Theatre, St Petersburg), Peter Grimes (Scottish Opera), Il Maestro di Capella and La Scala di Seta (Tibor Varga Festival, Switzerland), Into The Woods, Brahms' Liebeslieder, Mahagonny Songspiel and Suor Angelica (Trinity College of Music), the world premiere of Karl Jenkins' Eloise (W11 Children's Opera), Bedtime Stories (Stratford Circus), Don Giovanni and La Traviata (Opera Brava) and mixed programmes for New Israeli Opera and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As a revival director productions include Eugene Onegin (ROH), Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (La Scala Milan and Opera Palace Tokyo), Katya Kabanova, Jenufa and Don Giovanni (Welsh National Opera), La Clemenza di Tito (La Coruna Mozart Festival, Spain), and Mottke der Dieb (Stadtteater Görlitz).