Ellie Phillips – Violin & Viola

Describe the event of your dreams, and I'll help you realize it! I have 15 years of experience arranging music of a variety of genres including rock, pop, indie, blues, soul, folk, bluegrass, and classical. Any song you want, I'll arrange it! (Please note that many arrangements may require a few additional instruments such as piano or more strings. The cost of arrangements is included in the total fee.) I have sight-reading fluency in three clefs (treble, bass, and alto), am proficient in reading orchestral scores, and have moderate proficiency with jazz charts. I am comfortable improvising and can also suggest songs for your event, if you are looking for more options to create the right ambience. I have experience playing for a variety of worship services including Catholic Masses, Protestant/nondenominational services, prayer gatherings, and Reform Jewish high holidays. I have also played at numerous secular weddings, funerals, celebrations of life, and other important gatherings. I am here to help you fulfill your vision for your event, and enjoy finding just the right music for the moment. I love working with individuals, organizations, and families to create meaningful moments to be remembered for years to come.

Ellie grew up playing and singing music with her family in the car, around the dinner table, and at church. She made her stage debut as Tiny Tim in Alan Menken’s A Christmas Carol at the age of 6. Since then, she has gravitated more towards the orchestra pit than to singing roles: most notably, in 2023 she conducted Oregon State University Opera Workshop’s full-length production of Die Fledermaus. As a conductor, she has led the Corvallis-OSU Symphony in works by Richard Strauss, Shostakovich, and Dvorak. Ellie earned a BM in Music Performance from OSU in 2023 and performs regularly on violin and viola.

Her regular performance engagements include Newport Symphony (as assistant principal viola), Orchestra Next, Bozeman Symphony, and Montana TheatreWorks. In 2017–2023, Ellie also frequently appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in the Music à la carte concert series at OSU. Her arrangements of concertos for solo instrument plus string ensemble have featured significantly in the repertoire of OSU student ensembles. She is passionate about the music of Bach and performed a cycle of cello suites in 2019–2020. Ellie has been blessed to study Baroque performance practice at Oregon Bach Festival in 2023 and 2024, where she has learned from eminent directors such as Jos van Veldhoven and John Butt. Her instruments include a 2017 Sean Peak modern viola, a 1984 Howard Sands Baroque violin, and an anonymous French 19th century converted Baroque viola.

Ellie teaches violin, viola, and piano to students of all ages in Corvallis. As a second-generation music teacher, she had the privilege of observing thousands of piano lessons at home as a child. Ellie is certified to teach Suzuki violin and viola pedagogy and is well-versed in multiple piano methods including Faber and Thompson. She also has 10 years of experience teaching group music classes from beginning strings to undergraduate musicology. In Spring 2020, she co-taught MUS X60 at OSU with Dr. Marlan Carlson, presenting formal and harmonic analysis of well-known orchestral works of the 19th and early 20th centuries. She has also composed original works, including a piano quartet which was publicly performed by FearNoMusic in 2015. Ellie is indebted to her former teachers Peter Slowik, Jessica Lambert, and Brian Quincey, and would also like to thank the Portland Youth Philharmonic for its high-caliber orchestral training program. She has 15 years of experience performing at special events, and improvises in several genres from the Baroque to Appalachian folk. In her free time, Ellie enjoys jamming with family and friends, as well as hiking and running on trails around the Pacific Northwest.

Microphones are required for outdoor events, as well as for indoor events in large spaces. I do not provide my own mics or amps. Please let me know in advance what plans are for outdoor events in case of rain.