Ella Grace is an up-and-coming performer, composer, educator, and producer based in Chicago. Heralded by the Twin Cities Jazz Festival as "ultra-talented," Ella is nearing completion of a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz studies at DePaul University, where she currently studies trumpet with Chad McCullough. Recent winner of the 2024 Jazz Education Network Jamey Aebersold Endowed Scholarship, Ella has been labeled a "rising star" in the Twin Cities jazz scene and performs frequently throughout the Midwest both as a side-woman and bandleader with her original compositions.

Born in Georgia, Ella’s musical upbringing began in Minnesota. There she studied with Steve Strand, Prince's longtime lead trumpeter and played in the state’s salient youth honors jazz ensembles including Minnesota Youth Jazz Bands, Minnesota All-State Jazz Band under the direction of Patty Darling, and the Dakota Combo under the direction of Michael Cain. In high school, Ella began leading a combo and performing professionally around the Twin Cities after placing second for top-division combos at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival. During her senior year of high school, Ella studied music full-time at the University of Minnesota with Marissa Benedict, Dean Sorenson, and Phil Hey, performing in the university's top jazz combo and big band as well as in classical ensembles.

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Aside from performing and composing, Ella dabbles in music production and songwriting, some of which you can hear on her Spotify, Apple Music, or any other music streaming service. Ella is passionate about furthering gender equity in jazz and is working on publishing an academic study on the subject. She also enjoys jazz journalism, writing articles and hosting a radio show. To learn more about what Ella is up to, sign up for her weekly newsletter here!