Yelena Tishin was born in 1967 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (former USSR), where she studied violin at the special music school Uspensky.
Between 1985-90 she studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. As a student, she played with the Chamber and Opera Theater orchestras of St. Petersburg.
In 1990 she immigrated with her family to Israel, where she joined the First Violin section of the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion. In 1991 she won a Diploma in the Israel Contest for immigrant musicians.
Between 1992-2004 she played with the Israel Philharmonic as a freelance violinist, becoming a member of the orchestra in 2004.
Yelena Tishin has appeared as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic, as well as with other Israeli orchestras. She regularly performs with various chamber ensembles, among them the Quattro Plus and Millennium ensembles. In 2008 she became a member of the Philomusica Piano Quartet.