Laura Ellis
Laura Ellis is an associate professor of music in the School of Music at the University of Florida. Dr. Ellis teaches undergraduate and graduate organ, harpsichord, and carillon. In addition to her duties as university organist, Ellis serves as curator for the Andrew Anderson Memorial Pipe Organ in the University Auditorium, the carillon in the Century Tower, and the historic keyboard instruments housed in the School of Music.

A native of Minnesota, Ellis is a magna cum laude graduate of Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) and holds a Master of Music degree in church music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the University of Kansas. Her major organ teachers have been William Kuhlman and James Higdon. While in residence at the University of Kansas, she studied carillon with Albert Gerken.

Prior to her Florida appointment, Ellis served as professor of music at McMurry University and held the position of parish organist at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest in Abilene, Texas. Ellis began her teaching career at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas.

Ellis is active in the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and was recently elected Councillor for Region IV (Southeast). A carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA), Ellis is on the organization’s board of the directors and serves as director of the Music and Publications Committee.

Recital engagements as organist have included appearances with the Jacksonville (FL) Symphony, Piccolo Spoleto (Charleston, SC), Westminster Abbey, University of Sydney (Australia) and various locations throughout Florida, Texas, and the South. In January 2010, Ellis performed a solo recital for the Region IV regional convention in Sarasota, Florida.

In addition to her regular performances on the carillon in Century Tower on the University of Florida campus, Ellis has recently performed solo carillon recitals at the International Carillon Festival, Springfield, Illinois; the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Spokane, WA; the University of Sydney; the National Carillon, Canberra, Australia; Iowa State University; the University of Chicago; the Millennium Carillon, Naperville, IL; the University of Rochester (NY); Alfred University (NY); the University of Toronto; and the Metropolitan Church, Toronto.

A former winner of the Gruenstein Memorial Organ Competition, Ellis is active as a recitalist and clinician. Her CD entitled “Legacy: Laura Ellis Plays the Organ Works of Jeanne Demessieux,” was released under the Pro Organo label.

Information on the organ program at the University of Florida may be found at: www.arts.ufl.edu/organ. For more details about the carillon at the University of Florida, please visit: www.arts.ufl.edu/carillon.

Ellis may be contacted directly at: lrellis@ufl.edu