Lynnelle Ediger-Kordzaia, a nationally recognized educator, is the founder and director of the American Youth Harp Ensemble. She has taught the harp and directed harp ensembles for 20 years. Under her leadership, the AYHE has established and enjoyed an international reputation for musical and educational excellence. The American Youth Harp Ensemble (AYHE) has brought world-class music to enthusiastic audiences in the U.S. and abroad through hundreds of performances, recordings, television and radio features on CNN, NBC, PBS and NPR affiliate stations. With fifteen national and international tours to their credit since 1999, the AYHE made its international debut performing in the Maastricht Music Festival (Netherlands). It has had other notable performances at the Edinburgh Festival (Scotland), the Paris Music Festival (France), Salla Puccini (Milan), Salle Gaveau (Paris), the United Nations (NY), the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), the 34th and 38th American Harp Society National Conferences, the Association for Music Personnel in Public Radio National Conference (the AYHE was showcased for music directors from National Public Radio affiliate stations across the US and have subsequently been broadcast nationally) and Carnegie Hall (2001 and 2007). In 2009, the Ensemble performed in the London Festival of Music (England) and on the "State of the Arts" Concert Series at the U.S. Department of State to critical acclaim. Most recently, the Ensemble performed at the White House (DC), in the prestigious Advent Music Festival in Vienna and Salzburg (Austria) and debuted in the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center.

Amanda Ellerbe

Week 1

Violinist Amanda Ellerbe is a graduate of the Master of Music Teaching program at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she was the recipient of the Clifford Cook Memorial Merit Scholarship in String Music Education, Statler Walker Scholar, director of the Camerata Chamber Orchestra (a training orchestra for young musicians), and assistant director of Oberlin’s String Preparatory Program. Prior to her time at Oberlin, Ms. Ellerbe earned Bachelor's Degrees in Music and Philosophy at Loyola University (Chicago), where she studied with Haysun Kang, conductor Colin Holman, and baroque violinist Martin Davids, founder of Chicago’s premiere period performance ensemble, the Callapygian Players. Serving as concertmaster from 2008-2010, she was twice chosen as a featured soloist with Loyola’s University Orchestra. As a first violinist in The Classical Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Ellerbe performed at Chicago’s Cultural Center, Harris Theatre, and Ballroom at Navy Pier.