Ellen Hacker

Violin & Viola

 Ellen Hacker is an active freelance musician and educator in the  Twin Cities Metro area. She performs regularly on violin and  viola with local theater companies such as Artistry at the  Bloomington Civic Plaza, Theatre301, Yellow Tree  Theater, Mixed Precipitation, and Old Log Theater. Ellen is a  founding member and violist in the Linden String Quartet, a  violist in the Watercress String Trio, and a violinist in  the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

 Ellen serves as the Music Director & Conductor of the Cannon  Valley Youth Orchestras, an after-school program comprised of  elementary, middle and high school orchestras. She previously  worked as a Tour Coordinator at Gateway Music Festivals &  Tours, an organization that facilitates domestic and international  performance tours for music ensembles across the nation. In this  position, she was fortunate enough to travel with countless

music ensembles to Hawaii, Orlando, Canada, New York City, San Antonio, and other destinations.

A graduate of St. Olaf College, Ellen received a Bachelor of Music degree in Instrumental Music Education. While at St. Olaf, she studied violin and viola with Dr. Andrea Een and Professors Charles Gray, Ray Shows, and Nancy Oliveros. She studied piano with Dr. Andrew Hisey and Dr. Nancy Paddleford. A member of the St. Olaf Orchestra, Ellen toured throughout the United States & China and participated in a tour of the Pacific Northwest as a piano soloist. She is eternally grateful for all the guidance and support each teacher has provided throughout her musical education.