A child prodigy, Elsie Hall first took up the piano at three years old, studying from the age of five with Professor Josef Kretchmann (1838-1918) in Sydney.

[2] In 1883, she attended the Intercolonial Juvenile Industrial Exhibition in Parramatta, New South Wales, and won a prize for her piano performance.

[2] After a time in Paris, she made her London (Steinway Hall) debut on 5 May 1890 at the age of 12, and was reviewed by George Bernard Shaw.

She played ... with all the vigour and enjoyment of her age, and as dexterously as you please, being a hardy, wiry girl with great readiness and swiftness of execution, and unbounded alacrity of spirit.

At the same time, there is not the slightest artistic excuse for exploiting her cleverness at concerts; I hope we may not hear of her again in public until she is of an age at which she may fairly be asked to earn her living for herself.

In 1958 (at age 80), she made a well-received tour of South Africa with Dutch violinist Herman Salomon, who had previously gained his reputation as leader of The Amsterdam String Quartet.