Jason Ellis is thrilled to join the team at Jefferson Park as music instructor and Park liaison for CWSO! Jason has taught at Interlochen Center for the Arts, Merit School of Music, The Chicago High School for the Arts, as well as his alma mater, The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. During his eight years on faculty at ChiArts, he led the string department to four consecutive state championships (ILMEA) and has sent students to conservatories (with generous financial aid), including Juilliard, North Texas, and USC.
Jason was a cast member and double bassist on the longest-running show in the history of Broadway in Chicago- Million Dollar Quartet; he has played national tours of Broadway shows, including Beautiful, Matilda, and School of Rock. Additional performance highlights include The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival, The Kennedy Center, and The Olympic Games. Jason has served as Music Director for The Peninsula Hotel Chicago, TVK Orchestra, Artists Lounge Live, and numerous additional commercial ensembles.
Jason is pursuing an MFA in composition and orchestration from The University of Chichester in England; he has composed music for several feature-length films and has extensive experience as a professional arranger for Musical Theatre. He is passionate about music education as an agent for social justice and holds certificates in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from The University of Michigan and ESSEC Business School in Paris. Jason and his wife Catherine own a historic greystone three blocks away from Portage Park; they are avid supporters of The Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the city’s vibrant Theatre scene. Catherine is the Director of Operations for Ravinia Brewing Company and would love to pour you a beer, serve you some craft tacos, and tell you all about our cats.
Chicago City-Wide Symphony Orchestra 