Cynthia Ellis is the Music Director for Laguna Flutes and is the solo piccolo player for the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. She also served as Principal Flute for the Opera Pacific Orchestra from 1995 until the company closed in 2009. She most recently lead the Youth Flute Day seminar entitled Piccolo for All at the NFA convention in 2021.
She has served as a member of the Pedagogy Committee for the National Flute Association and also as Program Chair for the NFA’s annual convention in Anaheim, CA, in 2010. She has taught on the music faculty at the Claremont Graduate School, Pomona College, Hope International University, Biola College, and CSU Fullerton. She currently teaches applied music at Saddleback College and Vanguard University. Piccolo is a specialty for Cindy: has been published in Flute Talk Magazine from 2003-2014 as the author of the “Let’s Talk Picc” column, and served as an artist in residence at the International Piccolo Symposium in July 2013, held at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. She most recently completed a residency in March of 2017 at the Victoria Conservatory in Victoria, BC, Canada, where she presented a piccolo recital and masterclasses. She was an instructor for the Long Beach Summer Flute Institute in June 2015 and presented at the San Diego Flute Guild Festival in April 2017 as well as a masterclass/recital at the University of Redlands Flute Festival in May 2019.
Laguna Flutes began performing in Fall 2013 under the direction of Cynthia Ellis.
Cynthia has recorded for television, motion picture, and cartoon soundtracks as well as commercially released chamber music recordings. ‘Beyond Beethoven”, with the award-winning Les Amis Musicalles trio, was released on the Centaur label, and Jeremy Beck’s Flute Sonata is recorded on the CD ‘Never Final, Never Gone,” on the Nova label. This sonata is also dedicated to her. Arioso, her flute and harp duo, released “Petite Delights”, also on the Centaur Label, in May 2016.
Chamber music credits include the recent trio ‘Synergy’ with Jung-A Lee, piano, and David Chang, clarinet. They have been invited to perform July 2021. Ms. Ellis gave the Panel Masterclass for the digital convention in 2020 and 2021, as well as serving as a panelist and lecturer for several events at the 2021 convention.
Laguna Flutes was proud to be chosen to perform at the NFA Convention in 2021 (digitally) and also exhibited a digital concert at the Mid Atlantic Flute Convention in 2021.
They have been invited to perform as the headlining ensemble for the Music Teacher’s Association of California annual convention in July 2020, and July 2021. Ms. Ellis gave the Panel Masterclass for the digital convention in 2020 and 2021, as well as serving as a panelist and lecturer for several events at the 2021 convention.
Cynthia shares her home with Pacific Symphony trumpet player Tony Ellis and their three Labrador retrievers. Cindy enjoys fitness and is an active yoga enthusiast. She volunteers for Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue, acting as their microchip coordinator, and also enjoys cooking and reading in her leisure moments.
Cynthia is an Artist for Powell Flutes and performs on a custom made 19.5K flute.
For more information, visit www.cindyellisflute.com.
