T.D. Ellis

About Me


T.D. ELLIS

. . . is the founder and executive director of the CTPhilharmonic.  He is principal bassoon and personnel manager of the Greater Bridgeport, Ridgefield and Wallingford Symphonies.  Mr. Ellis plays bassoon and contrabassoon with the New Haven Symphony and Greenwich Symphony and may often be heard with other orchestras throughout New York and Connecticut.  He has appeared as a soloist with the Ridgefield Symphony, Chappaqua Chamber Orchestra and Western CT Youth Orchestra.  T.D. is a founding member of Bassoonery, a bassoon quartet; has performed with the Quintet of the Americas and was a guest-artist-in-residence at Sarah Lawrence College. He was the founder and artistic director of the Ridgefield Symphony’s summer concert series at Lasdon Park in Katonah, NY from 2007-11.  As a pit musician, he has played for the national Broadway tours of “The Sound of Music” and “Phantom of the Opera” as well as numerous local productions.  He has played off-Broadway with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and the Jewish Repertory Theater.  In addition, he plays bari sax in various jazz big bands in CT and NY, including A Nordic Sound, and the West Hartford Jazz Jam.  


He received his musical education at the Hartt School of Music and the State University of New York at Purchase.  


Mr. Ellis was the artistic director of the Keeler Tavern Museum Chamber Music Series in Ridgefield, and was the founder and artistic director of the Ridgefield Symphony’s summer concert series at Lasdon Park in Katonah, NY.   He received his musical education at the Hartt School of Music and the State University of New York at Purchase.  


In his spare time he owns and operates The Music Source, an online music store (www.TheMusicSource.org), with over 50,000 titles in stock, as well as unique music gifts and supplies.  T.D. Ellis Music Publishing publishes over 300 works by Anthony Newman and other composers, as well as arrangements by Mr. Ellis.  Working as a music copyist, he has typeset scores for Tony Bennett, Elton John, Celine Dion, Wynton Marsalis, Yo Yo Ma, Luciano Pavarotti, Vanessa Williams, Michael MacDonald, David Sanborn, the Boston Pops, National Symphony,  Rob Mathes, the Grammy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, Piglet’s Big Movie, Inauguration of Barack Obama, and others.  Mr. Ellis was born in Hollywood, Florida, grew up in West Hartford, CT and recently returned to West Hartford.