Bio

Since 1975, Ellen has soloed with orchestras throughout the United States and premiered many new works by contemporary composers. She performs regularly with Dave William’s funk band “Magic Bullet Theory,” the Los Angeles Flute Orchestra, the Present Quartet, and Andrea Centazzo’s West Coast Chamber Ensemble. Additionally, Ellen has performed with Adam Rudolph, Wolfgang Fuchs, Mark Dresser, James Newton, Yusef Lateef, bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck, Steuart Liebig′s Minim and Stigtette, Brad Dutz′s Nonet, Vinny Golia's Flute Quartet, the LoCal Composers Ensemble, the rock band “Dirt Tribe,” among others.

Ellen has been a featured performer at numerous local and global music festivals as well as concert series. She has been a guest artist at California State University, Dominguez Hills’ Creative Alarm Inventions; several International Society of Improvising Musicians (ISIM) conferences; Capital University’s NOW Festival; Ohio State University; the Creative Music Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Workshop; the Poto Music and Art Festival; the University of Mary Washington; Wichita State University's Contemporary Music Festival; the Vancouver Jazz Festival; and the Las Vegas New Music Festival, to highlight a few.

Drawing inspiration from the Fluxus movement, Ellen performs and composes for films, television, radio shows, chamber music, dance, theater, and opera. Her compositions have been performed throughout the United States and Europe. She is currently a member of ASCAP and the National Flute Association.

Ellen is featured on more than 30 albums spanning 31 years, in styles ranging from Celtic folk to experimental classical. L.A. Confidential with the West Coast Chamber Ensemble received New York’s Downtown Music Gallery’s Recording of the Year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVWPBgVgiBo) when it was released in 2016. Where Am I From, Where Am I Going (2013) is her collection of improvisations with bass clarinetist Michael Unruh. Duos, an album of her compositions and improvisations, was released in 2006. All albums have received international airplay and reviews. Ellen is a multiple grant recipient, having received two Subito grants from the American Composers Forum and a Composer-in-Residence grant from Meet the Composer.

Students worldwide benefit from Ellen's distinctive teaching style, which encourages respect for technique coupled with exploration and discovery. In addition to her busy private teaching practice in Los Angeles, she has coached and adjudicated student competitions and chamber music since 2004, and conducted student and professional groups since 1986.

Ellen served as Visiting Flute Instructor for the Spring 2012 semester at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California, and as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory at Wichita State University for the 2010–2011 school year. A Yamaha clinician since 1990, Ellen has taught workshops and master classes at colleges, universities, schools, festivals, and conventions throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. She has presented at National Flute Association conventions; the British Flute Society convention; Emporia State University; Saddleback College; LA Harbor College; Bethany College; the California State Summer School for the Arts; and San Francisco Waldorf High School.

Ellen has been interviewed by Christopher Caliendo, Gerry Fialka, and Juniper Hill (for her book Becoming Creative). She has been a contributing editor to the now-defunct Flute Talk magazine and a new music reviewer for the Australian online magazine Flute Focus. Her graphic score “Ink Bops” was included in Theresa Sauer’s collection of graphic scores Notations 21. She writes and publishes compositions and method books under her own EClectic Buzz label.

She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance from Wichita State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in music composition from the California Institute of the Arts. In addition, she was awarded the coveted Certificat de Stage after studying with Jean-Pierre Rampal at the Académie Internationale d'Été in France.

Her work is available on line at www.flutejewelry.com, or in person at her studio. Ellen lives in a historic apartment building in the Larchmont area of Los Angeles with her bilingual parakeet, Midori.

Ellen Burr is featured on more than twenty CDs spanning eighteen years, in styles as diverse as experimental classical and Celtic folk. "Duos", a CD of her own compositions and improvisations with various musicians, was released in 2006 and has received airplay and reviews around the globe. A Subito grant from American Composers Forum helped complete Duos. Ellen is a multiple grant recipient, having received an additional Subito grant for her production of FIVE, as well as a Composers in Residence grant from Meet the Composer.

Ellen′s passion for teaching began when she took on her very first private students, and for more than thirty years she has been bringing her distinctive teaching style to students around the world. She encourages a respect for technique coupled with exploration and discovery. Ellen gives instruction on extended flute techniques, electronic effects, free and melodic improvisation, theory, expression and rhythm; as well as lectures on practice planning, nerves, stage presence, creative business and financial planning for freelance artists, money matters, networking and even preparing fast and inexpensive meals for working musicians! She has been in residence and presented master-classes at California Institute of the Arts, Wichita State University, University of Mary Washington in Fredricksburg, VA, the National Flute Association Annual Convention, Internales Symposium de Darstellenden Kunste in Switzerland, Pacific Flute Camp, Wildacres Flute Retreat and Amadeus Flute Camp. Recent workshops include: Improvisation Workshop at the Electric Lodge and Music Improvisation Workshop-Turn on Your Creativity! with Howard Richman and Florence Mercurio Riggs at Guitar Merchant in Canoga Park, CA.

Ellen Burr maintains a busy private teaching practice in Los Angeles. Her students have held positions in California state bands and orchestras and have won numerous local solo competitions including: Kiwanis Club, Brentwood Symphony, Marina Women's Club, Palisades Symphony Annual Young Artists Award and Westside Committee of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Scholarship. They have gone on to attend prestigious universities such as Boston Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, University of Southern California and State University of New York at Buffalo. In addition to teaching, Ellen has been coaching and adjudicating student competitions and chamber music since 2004. She is presently a coach for Junior Chamber Music and a judge for Music Teachers' Association of California's Certificate of Merit.

Ellen has been conducting student and professional groups since 1986. She is currently the conductor of the Los Angeles Flute Orchestra and the LA Collective. She will conduct a flute choir reading session at the National Flute Association's 2010 Annual Convention in Anaheim, CA.

Ellen is a Yamaha Performing Artist and a Smart Music Clinician. Ellen earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from Wichita State University, where she studied flute with Dr. Frances Shelly and composition with Dr. Walter Mays, began exploring free improvisation under the direction of Dr. Arthur Wolff and participated in classes with visiting artists John Cage and R. Murray Schafer. She went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts degree in Music Composition from California Institute of the Arts, studying with Pulitzer Prize winner Mel Powell, Earle Brown, Morton Subotnick, Vinko Globokar and Stephen Mosko. Ellen has also studied flute with Jim Walker, and has participated in master-classes with William Bennett and Michel Debost. In addition, she was awarded the coveted Certificat de Stage after studying with Jean Pierre Rampal at the Academie Internationale D'Ete in France.

In 1997 Ellen was the subject of a feature article, “Teaching Self-Awareness,” in Flute Talk, and has since been a contributing editor to the magazine. Her series of articles spans a variety of subjects such as "Being a Casual Musician," "The Trick to Staying Fresh With a Full Teaching Load," "Building Confidence," and "Building a Studio." Ellen is also a new music reviewer for the Australian ezine Flute Focus. Under her own EClectic Buzz label, she has written and published Syukhtun, a solo flute composition featuring singing and playing at once; Flutastics, an extended techniques method book; Intervallic Studies on Symmetrical Scales, a 250 page exercise book; and Ink Bops, an improvisational graphic card deck. Ink Bops is included in Notations 21, an anthology of innovative musical notation, edited by Theresa Sauer and published by Mark Batty (New York, 2008).

Born in Buffalo, NY and raised in Detroit and Kansas City, Ellen came from a loving but decidedly non-musical family. At age ten, to avoid a social studies class, she took up flute in the school band and quickly developed a love for the instrument and a direction for her life. Ellen's busy and eclectic career reflects the very whimsical way in which it began.

Ellen's unbridled creativity is extends to her line of silver and gold jewelry made from flute parts and other instruments, called Music For Your Eyes. Musicians and music lovers alike covet Ellen's unique handmade designs. Her work is available at www.musicforyoureyes.net.

Her work is available on line at www.flutejewelry.com, or in person at her studio. Ellen lives in a historic apartment building in the Larchmont area of Los Angeles with her bilingual parakeet, Midori.