'Ellie creates a rich, ancient & rootsy sound, that's also completely new at the same time’ - Elizabeth Alker, BBC Radio 3

‘Beautiful sound … absolutely wonderful’ - Cerys Matthews, BBC 6Music

‘Exquisite beauty offered by Ellie Wilson’s controlled violin’ - Mojo Magazine

‘Ellie Wilson composes the score, with haunting solo vocals and an impressive set of themes that make it this season’s most memorable.’ - Fringe Review on Shakespeare’s Globe Richard III

‘A really haunting piece ... there’s a real sense of place’ - Sean Rafferty, BBC Radio 3

‘The music is strong and Ellie Wilson's use of the saw lends a great deal of tension to the play's darker moments.’ - Whats On Stage on Shakespeare’s Globe Henry VI

Ellie Wilson is a violinist and composer. Her music has been described as ‘beautifully poised’ (Errollyn Wallen, BBC Radio 3), ‘haunting … impressive’ (Fringe Review) and ‘rich, ancient and rootsy’ (Elizabeth Alker, BBC Radio 3).

Ellie’s work melds contemporary classical, folk, and electronica and her output ranges from live performances, to immersive sound installations and music for theatre. Her music has been used in soundtracks for TV dramas, documentaries and podcasts.

She is a 2023-24 OCM Boom Artist - Oxford Contemporary Music’s annual professional development scheme for music creators who are interested in creating and presenting inspiring contemporary music or sound based work outside of the concert hall and gallery.

​Recent highlights include:

A solo album Memory Islands, released on the Bigo and Twigetti label 29 September 2023. A collection of new works for violin, hardanger fiddle and electronics, which explore the strange landscape of memory and the spirit of place. Described as beautiful … absolutely wonderful’ (Cerys Matthews, BBC 6Music) and ‘Immersive, reflective and playful … mesmerizing’ ★★★★ (Songlines Magazine).

​The score for Shakespeare’s Globe productions of Henry VI and Richard III, directed by Sean Holmes and Ilinca Radulian. Ellie also performed (violin, musical saw, vocals) in the two shows. The music was hailed as ‘impressive … this season’s most memorable’ (Fringe Review) and described asmelt[ing] seamlessly into the drama’ (The Guardian) and ‘tonally akin to a Scorsese film’ (What’s On Stage).

A sound installation created as part of Ellie’s Epping Forest artist residency called Unearthing Stories of the Forest which explored the human impact on Greater London’s ancient woodland through the centuries: Iron-Age hillforts, WWII bomb craters that are now ponds, and her ancestor Thomas Willingale – a local labourer who helped save the forest during the c19th enclosure movement. The work was released as a limited edition album and the project linked to the Waltham Forest’s London Borough of Culture The People’s Forest. It was described as ‘Brilliant ... A rich audio tapestry of folk and drones’ (Luke Turner, The Quietus).

A short piano piece called Waiting for pianist Rolf Hind, which was premiered at London’s King Place in October 2020 (one of the few live concerts of the year!) and a remix for composer Colin Riley’s project In Place which was also selected for NMC Recordings’ The Big Lockdown Music Survey. She released Dominion of the Sword, an EP featuring a selection of music written for the Shakespeare’s Globe productions of Henry VI and Richard III along with speeches by some of the Globe Ensemble actors, and had a piece released on Accidental Records Antechamber Music compilation in July 2021.

Ellie is a former member (2014-2019) of ‘Britain’s most exciting new folk band’ (Uncut Magazine) and 5-time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominees, Stick In The Wheel. She has toured the UK and Europe in various bands, and performed at major UK festivals including Latitude, Glastonbury, WOMAD and Green Man; venues including Usher Hall, Royal Festival Hall, the Houses of Parliament; and in live sessions for John Kennedy (Radio X), Tom Robinson (BBC 6Music), Dermot O’Leary and Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2).