Fern Ellis

Before she could walk, Fern loved to sit on the floor and bounce up and down to the rhythm of the jazz classics her parents listened to. By the time she was eight she was playing drums in the school band. Soon she fell in love with the sound of the flute and switched instruments. Fern became the principal solo flutist with the Sunrise Pops Orchestra under the baton of Peter Graves and also performed with the Miami Symphony, Palm Beach Pops, Gold Coast Opera and numerous groups such as the Moody Blues and Chuck Mangione Orchestra. As a vocalist, she has sung in jazz clubs in the U.S. and Paris and with many big bands, including the Harvey Nevins Yiddish American Swing Orchestra.

When Fern played alto saxophone and flugelhorn in a few Los Angeles big bands, she wanted to sing the songs. She also yearned to sing originals she had written. And after years of studying voice with pop singers, jazz singers, operatic singers, Fern found Hal Schaefer. An extraordinary solo jazz pianist who coached all-time greats Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and numerous recording artists, Hal helped her find confidence in her singing. That led to producing her first CD, No Limits, of her original pop and eclectic songs. Next came her CD of songs from the Great American Songbook, In and Out of Love. She also is featured on compilation discs in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Whether you’re listening to the warm golden tones of Fern’s flute or the lyrical quality and sensuous sound of her first-rate voice, you’ll know the music you’re hearing comes from her heart.