Born in country Queensland, Elm is a self-taught pianist and accordionist with forays into glockenspiel, mountain dulcimer and harmonium. From performing epic pop songs to avant-garde compositions, cabaret numbers to experimental forms, Elm utilises his duality and split musical background to prove time and time again that he is a composer with massive potential; from virtuosic pianist to accordionist, ranging from folk ballads to contrasting contemporary soundscapes.

Starting out as a street performer in 2010, Elm began his performing career by accompanying The Jane Austen Argument open for Emma Dean, then at Live To Shine festival. Through this group, Elm was introduced to the infamous Amanda Palmer, and sparked a four-year relationship with the artist, even to be called “Melbourne’s Jason Webley”. Through the years, Elm has performed with these cabaret superstars at The Forum, Thousand Pound Bend, The Revolt, The Toff and The Evelyn. He has also appeared alongside Brendan Maclean, Mama Alto, Mikelangelo and Kate Miller-Heidke.

Also performing as a solo artist, Elm has awed audiences with his experimental compositions and immersive stage presence. His debut EP Shades Of Green (2011) featured four short, improvised piano pieces. This was followed byConquer (2013): a collection of deceptively simple works on piano, accordion, glockenspiel, Celtic harp and found sounds. Another release in 2013 by Elm was Between Dawn And The Day. This EP is a 7-track mixed bag of lush soundscapes and sparse glittering piano bagatelles. Between Dawn And The Day takes inspiration from the grey light in early dawn, and is laced with literary references, pagan symbolism and braced by a phoenix-like regeneration. Elm has also composed music for two short films: Highly Recommended, and Lollapalooza Films'Raymond Taylor's Earnest Adventures In Love.

Influenced by things as diverse as Múm, Steve Reich and Welsh folklore, William Elm is one of the most exciting contemporary classical artists in Melbourne now. His music calls to mind artists like Philip Glass, Yann Tiersen and Nils Frahm, yet his performances are his own, striving to create an immersive art experience and blurring the lines between classical and pop music.

2014 saw Elm grinding out accordion songs atop a bar with Amanda Palmer for Melbourne’s White Night; play alongside Brendan Maclean for FoxFM’s Random Acts of Instrument show; participate in several ensembles for Melbourne Fringe Festival (including a reinterpretation of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love and a 50th anniversary performance of Terry Riley’s In C); and perform his debut show From The Depths to sold out audiences at both The Butterfly Club and the Abbotsford Convent.