Ylva also continues to perform in classical venues, having more than 20 years experience singing with different choirs, and has been on several tours in Europe. The repertoire has been varied, singing Handel’s Messiah and Verdi's Requiem along with Swedish traditional folk and modern music. And in 2002, just before the move to US, she had the opportunity to tour Northern California with the Uppsala Academic Choir, where the choir performed at the Nobel Party in San Francisco’s city hall, with the Swedish crown princess in attendance. Currently Ylva is a member of La Jolla Symphony and Chorus in San Diego, performing music from Broadway shows in September, 2004, and the masterpiece Carmina Burana (Orff) in June, 2005.
On May 17th, Ylva performed at the Swedish-Norwegian Musical celebration at the Don Powel Theatre in San Diego. According to Dr. Ann-Charlotte Harvey, Professor in Theatre at SDSU, "Ylva Elias is a musical and performing talent to be reckoned with... involved in all kinds of cultural activities promoting Swedishness, from singing jazz to appearing as Pippi Longstocking, from conducting Lucia choirs to calling the cows with the ancient vocal technique known as kulning..."
Ylva is the founder and director of the Swedish Choir in San Diego. And in December 2009 she also conducted the Children's Choir from the Swedish School in San Diego, and she will continue teaching singing and music at the school during the spring 2010. Ylva is also very much involved in all kinds of Swedish cultural activities, including Midsummer celebrations and singing Swedish carols at the December Nights in Balboa Park, and she is a member of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce San Diego, and often network with other swedes through SWEA (Swedish Women Educational Association), the Swedish Children Schoo, and the House of Sweden in Balboa Park.
