by Jarrett Hoffman

When Cleveland native David Ellis decided to study cello as an undergraduate at Oberlin Conservatory, he had an inkling that conducting might be in his future. He also had a feeling he should wait on that pursuit.

“I was thinking that as great as it is, it’s tough being a young conductor,” Ellis said during a recent telephone conversation. “You’re thrust into a position that most people shouldn’t be in until much later. I felt like I needed a little more musical maturity before I could be comfortable on the podium.”

Eventually, that time came. Ellis returned to Oberlin to study in the master’s program in conducting, in addition to receiving a master’s in historical performance. Flash forward to the present, and we find Ellis directing two local string orchestras: Earth and Air, and the Camerata Chamber Orchestra at Case Western Reserve University. And for the first time, he’ll have the opportunity to unite those two ensembles under one roof.

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