POP Questions: Music Director Todd Ellison

Music Director Todd Ellison POP QUESTIONS

Where did you grow up? On Melody Lane in Essex, Connecticut, near a piano factory that produced keyboards for Steinway (among other piano companies) from the mid 1800s to the 1970s.

Where do you live now? New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.

When did you start learning or performing music? I asked my parents to enroll me in piano lessons at age 6.

What instruments do you play? Piano, Organ, Clarinet, Violin (though you wouldn’t want to hear that)

What’s your favorite song, musician, or band? Thanks to my parents, I grew up listening to all kinds of music, from show tunes to jazz, rock to classical. I studied classical music as a piano performance major at Boston University, but always knew my heart was in the Broadway and Hollywood pops vein. Nowadays, my home life is dominated by pop songs of Taylor Swift and Walk the Moon, thanks to my young children (and I admit: I don’t hate it).

What’s your favorite Broadway show and why? 42nd Street. Besides having the greatest opening number of a big musical, it’s the kind of show that leaves an audience tapping its feet with joy. Plus, I conducted exactly 1,000 performances of the 2001 revival before I left for another favorite of mine, Spamalot.

Why do you love performing with The Philly POPS? This orchestra is made up of supremely talented individuals who excel at playing any style of music they’re given. They also love playing and being together, which is rare in an orchestra of this size.

Do you have any hobbies besides music? There are so many aspects to music that I love: performing, composing, orchestrating, arranging. I have never been bored working on music. But I also love BBC Murder Mysteries, traveling, kayaking, driving my 1993 Jeep Wrangler with the top down to the beach, and Coke Zero.

Tell us about your family? My partner Gavin and I have two kids, ages 6 and 8. My very supportive parents still live in my hometown, as does my brother and his family.

When did you first visit Philly? My first visit was to hear The Philly POPS holiday show with Peter Nero almost ten years ago.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Philly? Visiting Reading Terminal with my kids and trying a new food vendor every time. Then again, it’s thrilling to walk through the charming historic streets, visiting City Hall, and reveling in the majesty of the city. (But those Liberty Bell waffles at Reading Terminal thrill the entire family.)

Who is your favorite Founding Father and why? I’ll pick John Adams, as he had the best role in the Broadway musical, 1776!

Have you had a Philly cheesesteak? How do you take it? It was our CEO Frank Giordano who introduced me to my first Philly cheesesteak at the POPS Ball last year. My order: Prov witout.