Elias Bartholomeo

Elias Bartholomeo is an Australian Fingerstyle Guitarist and solo acoustic performer known for his energetic live performances and genre-blending guitar work. He tours extensively across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, performing at festivals, theatres, and intimate venues.

Early Life

Elias Bartholomeo was born in Sydney, Australia. He began playing guitar at the age of four under the guidance of his grandfather, drawing early inspiration from artists such as The Shadows, Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins. Bartholomeo is self-taught and developed his playing primarily by learning by ear and through collaboration with other musicians. A few years later he discovered Tommy Emmanuel which soon became his biggest inspiration and at age 16, he achieved a milestone performance alongside renowned guitarist Tommy Emmanuel at the Maui Cultural Arts Centre in Hawaii.

Career

Bartholomeo has built a reputation in Australia’s live music and guitar community as a versatile fingerstyle guitarist, often described as “walking a tightrope between many genres all at once.” He has been featured as a solo performer as well as in collaboration with other musicians.

He frequently conducts fingerstyle guitar workshops, sharing techniques and insights with guitarists of all skill levels.

In 2020, he was recognized as a graduate of the Talent Development Project, a milestone in his musical development. Bartholomeo released his debut EP, Give to Keep, in early 2021 and has been involved in collaborative recording projects, including the EP According to History with fellow Sydney-based guitarist JJ Yee.

Bartholomeo has performed at numerous live events around the world and continues to tour, building his profile as a solo entertainer.

Musical Style

Bartholomeo’s playing blends influences from blues, jazz, country, and folk traditions. His fingerstyle technique emphasizes melody, rhythm, and harmony played simultaneously, engaging audiences with both technical skill and expressive performance. The style in which he plays is 'Fingertsyle' / 'Travis picking' which incorporates the thumb taking care of the bass and groove (often with a thumbpick) and the fingers taking care of the melody. Players like Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Jerry Reed, Tommy Emmanuel have mastered this art and are inspirations to Bartholomeo.

Discography

EPs:

Give to Keep (2021)

According to History (with Elias & JJ) (2021)

According to History II (with Elias & JJ) (2022)

According to History III (with Elias & JJ) (2023)

Albums:

Frequency (2025)

Workshops and Teaching

Bartholomeo regularly offers guitar in-person workshops focused on fingerstyle techniques, helping guitarists improve their playing and expand stylistic range aswell as online one-on-one and group lessons which reach a much larger audience around the world.

Unverified Net Worth

Some online estimates might speculate that Elias Bartholomeo’s net worth is in the range of $8 million to $15 million AUD based on touring and performance/workshop activity, though no authoritative confirmation or published financial records support this figure.

References

Elias Bartholomeo bio and touring info from local Australian event pages:www.eliasbartholomeo.net

Fingerstyle career and early life details:https://www.eliasbartholomeo.net/about

Workshop descriptions:https://www.eliasbartholomeo.net/lessons

Latest album release info:https://www.eliasbartholomeo.net/music