West Coast in Berlin: Ellen Weller with Improvised Alchemy

The Willows Nest is proud to present Ellen Weller in a special Berlin appearance with members of our own resident ensemble, Improvised Alchemy!  Multi-winds performer, pianist, and conductor Dr. Ellen Weller is Professor of Music at Palomar College in California, where she teaches classes in music theory, ear-training, and music literature, and directs the Palomar Symphony Orchestra.

Ellen Weller divides her performance activities between improvisation, jazz, klezmer and classical music. An active member of San Diego’s Trummerflora Collective and one of the original members of Maiden Voyage, an all-female big band out of Los Angeles, Weller has performed with musicians including George Lewis, Mark Dresser, Bert Turetzky, Vinny Golia, Muhal Richard Abrams, Lisle Ellis, Vanessa Tomlinson, Mike Wofford, Holly Hofmann, Joe Marillo, Anthony Davis, David Borgo, Jason Robinson, Nathan Hubbard Skeleton Key Orchestra, Lesli Dalaba, Carla Kihlstadt, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Hans Fjellestad, Marcos Fernandes, Michael Dessen, Michael Friedman, Dorbel Persian Music Ensemble, and the Second Avenue Klezmer Ensemble.

Weller has two CDs on the Circumvention label: her widely-acclaimed first CD as leader, Spirits, Little Dreams and Improvisations (2004) and “Point of Contact,” featuring her husband Bob Weller and internationally acclaimed bassist Mark Dresser (2008). Her compositions include works for orchestra, solo piano, flute, voice, and chamber ensembles, some exploring improvisation and graphic notation, and have been performed in New York, Detroit, San Diego and Los Angeles. Recent works include “Intervals of Peace” for viola soloist with orchestra and choir, “Tears of Babylon” for brass ensemble, “Bei Mir Bistu Sheyn: A Yiddish Swing Fantasy,” “Prior’s Waltz” for orchestra, “1918: for two pianos and community,” incidental music to “Angels in America” and “Pine Apple Rag” for piano solo and orchestra. Selections from her composition, “Jazz Suite for Piano” were recorded by Peter Gach on the 2010 recording, “Fresh Piano.”