Ellen Melissa Story to join St Cecilia’s music team

March 14, 2023

I am delighted to share with you that a wonderful young musician will be joining our staff at Saint Cecilia’s. Her first services with us will be on Easter Day! Ellen Melissa Story is an extraordinary musician, originally from Tennessee, who has led worship in a variety of traditions, plays five instruments, has a degree from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, possesses a beautiful singing voice, and also plays with several touring bands in Texas and beyond. She will have three primary areas of responsibility at Saint Cecilia’s. First, she will be our Associate for Worship and Music, She will assist Joey in planning and leading music in worship. She is also a composer and will share her own compositions from time to time. Second, she will initiate and lead our Children and Youth Music Ministry. Over time, she will develop a significant outreach ministry to local children and youth, which could include lessons, Master classes, and a Summer Music Camp. Thirdly, she will participate and help coordinate our Saint Cecilia’s Series as Associate for Interdisciplinary Arts. Ellen has a wonderful vision for how creativity can connect us to the Divine, and has lots of great connections with musicians and creatives in Texas and beyond. Many of you already know Ellen and her partner Gus Alvarado. They played for our Men’s Social and also our beautiful Valentine’s Dinner at Lutherhill. Please warmly welcome Ellen and pray for her and her ministry with us in the coming months!

Here is a note from Ellen:

Hey y’all!
My name is Ellen Melissa Story and I am a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, originally from
Tennessee, but now living just down the road in Ellinger, TX!
I’m incredibly honored that my path has led me here to St. Cecilia’s, and elated to contribute
my gifts to this community. You’ll hear me singing and fiddling on Sundays in Worship (maybe
throwing in another instrument or two as needed), as well as coming up with exciting ways to
engage with and provide meaningful experiences for our youngins (there’s my Tennessee
coming out). I will also be teaming up with Friar Bill to continue collaborating with the many
talented artists in the community and beyond to bring you some awesome special services and
events.
Looking forward to meeting everyone in person!
Joyfully yours,
Ellen

And here is Ellen’s bio:

From a Wildwood Flower to a Texas Rose…
Ellen Story hails from small-town Tennessee, where she grew up playing a
variety of genres with her parents in The Appleton Family Band. From a
young age, she showed a propensity for picking up any instrument she could
get her hands on; first the violin, then on to mandolin, guitar, and piano (just
to name a few). Classically trained, Ellen participated in local youth
orchestras and concerto competitions on the violin.
At 16, Ellen uprooted to Natick, Massachusetts, where she deepened her
classical journey at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, in addition to studying
privately and playing in the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra at New England
Conservatory. Despite the intense classical training, Ellen clung to her
passion for fiddling, and upon graduation she was accepted into the
prestigious Berklee College of Music, where she learned from fiddle greats
such as Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, and Jason Anick. It was during her
college years that she, along with 3 of her colleagues (Layth Al-Rubaye of
Jordan, Naseem Alatrash of Palestine, and Alliz Espi of the UK), formed the
Four Corners Quartet, drawing from their musical backgrounds to create a
rich and innovative quartet experience. She graduated from Berklee with a
BA in Professional Music.
Ellen has performed at Carnegie Hall with the True North Orchestra and The
Three Tenors, the Annie Moses Band, and Michael W. Smith; she has also
been a featured bluegrass performer at the Grand Ole Opry, accompanying
Ron Block of Union Station.
Now a resident of Ellinger, TX, Ellen works as an itinerant fiddler spanning
multiple genres, performing and working in recording studios all over
Houston, Austin, and surrounding areas. She frequently plays with local
artists and bands including Western Bling, and Slow Meadow. Most notably,
she proudly serves as the fiddler and female vocalist of The Broken Spokes,
an award-winning honky tonk group that is taking Texas by storm.

130 Henkel Circle | Round Top, TX 78954
Sundays at 8:45 am and 10:45 am