Eslin McKay picked up her first violin at the age of three, beginning her musical education through the Suzuki Method with Virginia Little in Brantford Ontario. She has graduated with Honours in Violin Performance at the University of Toronto where she studied with Annalee Patipatanikoon. As a student at the University of Toronto Eslin was a member of numerous string quartets both as a violinist and violist, and was named runner up for the Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award.
Eslin has been involved with orchestras since the age of five and in 2009 Eslin toured Canada as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada led by conductor Alain Trudel. She has been concertmaster and principal player of numerous orchestras including the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Eslin was the winner of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and preformed with the orchestra in 2007. She was also a soloist in the Brantford Music Club Young Artist Series and preformed in 2007. She has attended numerous summer music programs including Music at Port Milford, Southern Ontario Chamber Music Institute where she received coaching and masterclasses from The Tokyo String Quartet, Penderecki String Quartet, Lafayette String Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, violinist Jasper Wood and other prominent Canadian musicians.
Prior to university Eslin was a Suzuki teacher and quartet coach at the Brant Suzuki String School in Brantford. She is also a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has completed teacher training through Book 3, studying with Karen-Michele Kimmett as well as her Suzuki Early Childhood Education Training with Dorothy Jones.