Lyrebird Ensemble: About the Artists

The Lyrebird Ensemble is an innovative flute and harp duo based in Chicago. The ensemble was formed in 2006, when flutist Ellen Huntington and harpist Lillian Lau began collaborating as members of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. They are dedicated to performing lesser known repertoire written specifically for flute and harp from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Recent performances by the Lyrebird Ensemble include the Chicago Flute Club Flute Festival, the American Harp Society chapter's inaugural recital in Davenport, Iowa, and Arts At Large Series in Chicago, Illinois. They have been invited to present a lecture-recital on "The Golden Age of Flute and Harp Repertoire" at the American Harp Society National Conference in Tacoma, Washington in July 2010.

Ellen Huntington is second flute with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and has played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. A frequent recitalist, she has been a featured artist at the Kennedy Center, Chicago Cultural Center, Augustana College, and the University of Chicago, and recently performed at the National Flute Association Convention in New York City. She is a winner of the Northwestern University Concerto Competition and the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Award. Ms. Huntington is on the Faculty of North Park University and maintains a large teaching studio in the Chicago suburbs. Her summer teaching appointments include the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Flute Camp and the Annual Summer Flute Retreat at Illinois Valley Community College. As the recipient of a Fulbright Grant, Ellen Huntington studied with Jean-Claude Gérard at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart, Germany. Ms. Huntington received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University where she studied with Walfrid Kujala and Richard Graef. She was awarded a University Fellowship to pursue her Master of Music degree with Katherine Borst Jones at The Ohio State University. She is currently a Doctor of Music Candidate at Northwestern University and is completing her dissertation on the history and repertoire of the flute and harp duo. Visit her website at www.ellenhuntington.com.

Lillian Lau is in demand as an orchestral musician, teacher, solo harpist and chamber music recitalist in Chicago and the Midwest. Her extensive orchestral engagements include performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater, Ravinia Festival, Elgin Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, in major concert halls throughout Europe, and as a soloist at the World Harp Congress in Switzerland. Lillian has participated in critically acclaimed performances with such artists as Placido Domingo, Samuel Ramey, and Leon Fleisher. She is currently the Principal Harpist of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. She was featured as guest soloist in harp and choral repertoire with the Camerata Singers and at the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. As a teacher, Lillian mantains a full teaching studio in the Chicago area. Lillian Lau is involved in the harp community as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Harp Society and past co-chair of the American Harp Society Institute and National Competitions in Chicago. Lillian is involved in the harp community, serving on the Board of Directors of the American Harp Society and as co-chair of the American Harp Society Institute and National Competition in 2007. She is the assistant editor of the orchestral excerpt guide, Principal Harp Book 2, by Sarah Bullen of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Lillian Lau holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, as well as the prestigious Performer's Certificate, from Indiana University and a Professional Diploma in Orchestral Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Her principal teachers are Sarah Bullen and Distinguished Professor Susann McDonald.