Ellie Cumming is a composer specialising in film and television.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, she began her musical journey at the
age of six when she started learning various instruments, including the
piano. She received a five-year music scholarship at
St Mary’s Anglican Girls School in 2002 and completed her
DipABRSM of piano in 2007.
Ellie then decided to pursue her musical studies in composition at the
West Australian Academy of the Performing Arts (WAAPA). Largely
classically trained, she completed her Bachelor of Music in Composition
in 2010 under the guidance of Dr Cat Hope and Dr Anthony Pateras,
and her Honours degree in 2011 under the direction of Lindsay Vickery
(WAAPA), and Leo Eylar at the California State University of
Sacramento.
In 2010, Ellie was placed onto the 'Faculty of Education and Art Dean’s Honour Roll'. In the same year she was awarded the ‘Judges Commendation for Music Composition’ at the Revel-8 Film Festival. Ellie also received the inaugural ‘Dr. Harold Schenberg Music Prize’ in 2011, where she received a scholarship to study in the United States of America. The prize money allowed Ellie to study at the California State University of Sacramento for her Honours year.
In 2014, Ellie continued her exciting musical journey at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), under the direction of prestigious lecturers, Martin Armiger, Christopher Gordon and Kirke Godfrey, writing music for several short films and documentaries. Ellie was then short-listed for the 'Kenneth B. Myer Award for Exceptional Talent'.
After graduating from AFTRS, Ellie attained a position at Jigsaw Music. Here she has continued orchestrating, copying and studio assistant work on various local and international films, including, "Peter Rabbit", "Lego Batman", "Gods of Egypt", "Spacebear", "Jasper Jones" , "The Butterfly Tree", "Open Season 4", and "Lego Ninjago", as well as numerous stage productions, including "Conchita", "SYO IGNITE Symphonic Dance for VIVID Sydney", and "Muriel's Wedding: The Musical".
Ellie’s works centre on emotions, events and locations that inspire narratives through music. Due to collaborations with dancers, film directors and other professional musicians, her works have been performed locally at such places as PICA, the Astor Theatre and the Luna Cinema, and internationally in the United States of America, Australia and Europe. Ellie’s original works have also been performed live, at the World Saxophone Congress, Edinburgh, at the 2012 Potters Field Olympic Live Site, London and recently her chamber music premiered at the Rio 1917 – Grey Wing Concert by the Tura New Music Ensemble, Australia.
Ellie’s short films have been exhibited at the Cinequest Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Berlin - Down Under Berlin, Toronto International Film Festival, the 51st Chicago International Film Festival, the London Sci-Fi Film Festival and the Fantasia International Film Festival, among several others.
She continues her work in writing, recording, orchestrating and producing music on several projects with companies such as Digger's Requiem (in collaboration with the Australian War Memorial), Symphony of Australia, The Flowers of War and Spiritworks and has even been fortunate enough to be involved in Christopher Gordon’s orchestral work for Graeme Murphy's ballet, “Giselle and the Wriath Queen” premiered in Seoul, South Korea.
Ellie journeyed to Los Angeles, where she interned at Michael Levine's Studio and has now become a part of their Mpath Composing Team. Furthermore, she has collaborated with Pete Seibert on the "Deloitte Music Video" as well as working on Andrew Lippa's Musical, "Unbreakable", and has joined Joy Music House, where she has copied and studio assisted on the Miriam Cutler documentary, "Love Gilda" that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018, among others that have premiered at Sundance 2019.
Ellie has written additional music on Benjamin Speed's team for the Australian-Chinese Film, "At Last", and was the lead orchestrator. She is currently working on Amie Doherty's orchestration team for such projects as the Jurassic Park short, "Battle at Big Rock" which premiered in 2019, "The High Note" 2020, and "Undone" Season 2, 2022. She has written additional music on "Happiest Season" 2020, and assisted Amie Doherty's score of the Dreamworks Animation Feature, "Spirit: Untamed", 2021. Ellie has written additional music on and is the lead orchestrator for "The Portable Door", starring Christoph Waltz, 2022.
Ellie is one-half of the QueensofthePlayground team. Along with lyricist Amanda Rachel Breslow, they are currently creating and writing the Animation Feature, "Ripple", as well as developing the series "Becky and the Alternate Universe".
