Ellen Waterman is a dynamic flutist/vocalist and creative improviser who specializes in contemporary and experimental music. She is known for her flamboyant physical presence and wild range of vocalizations on the flute, and for her dedication to Canadian experimental music. Her performance practice intersects closely with her work as a cultural theorist and musicologist.
Ellen is Associate Professor in the School of Fine Art and Music at the University of Guelph, where she leads the Contemporary Music Ensemble and teaches courses in 20th century and avant-garde music. She holds the Ph.D. in Critical Studies and Experimental Practices from the Department of Music at the University of California, San Diego. For over a decade she performed with iconic Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer on several of his Patria music/theatre projects, and her scholarly work on Schafer has been widely published.
Ellen is represented on premiere recordings of works by Brian Ferneyhough (CRICD 652) and Schafer (CMCCD 8902). Her own compositions and improvisational work have been released on Radiant Dissonance Volume Two, a set of ten radio programs produced by the Canadian Society for Independent Radio Production, and on her CD Sound Crossings. As an improviser she has been fortunate to perform with such major artists as George Lewis, Miya Masaoka, Malcolm Goldstein, Susie Ibarra, Joëlle Leandre, Jean Derome, Lori Freedman, Nicole Mitchell and Anne Bourne. She has performed at the Guelph Jazz Festival, the Vancouver International Jazz Festival (with VCMI), and Montreal’s The Upgrade!. Ellen is an active member of the Association of Improvising Musicians, Toronto.