Ellen Cockerham Riccio is a violinist, writer, and arts entrepreneur. Her playing exhibits “an extraordinary range of expression” according to the Commercial Appeal. She was named one of Style Weekly’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2014 for her work with Classical Revolution RVA, and her writing has been featured twice by the same publication. 

Ellen has served as Principal Second Violinist of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (RSO) since 2009. She won the job when she was 23 years old and still completing her Master’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she also received her Bachelor’s degree, as a student of William Preucil. Prior to moving to Richmond, Ellen served as Principal Second Violinist of the Canton Symphony and was a member of the Akron Symphony. 

As a soloist, Ellen has appeared with the RSO, the Olympia Symphony, and the Memphis Symphony. She served as the RSO’s acting concertmaster in 2011 and was guest concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony for two Masterworks concerts in 2013, including performances of Ein Heldenleben. 

An active and enterprising chamber musician, Ellen collaborates frequently with the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, pianist Daniel Stipe, and the Eckhart Ensemble. She is a founding member of both the Thales Piano Trio and Rosette, a string quartet. Rosette often performs with Miramar, a group that draws its inspiration from the golden age of romantic music, primarily that of the Latin American genre known as the bolero. Ellen has also appeared with salsa group Bio Ritmo, jazz saxophonist Charles Owens, and has been recorded extensively by Spacebomb Studios with artists such as Natalie Prass, Matthew E. White, and Bedouine. 

In 2013, Ellen founded Classical Revolution RVA, the local chapter of a worldwide movement to bring live classical music into non-traditional venues. By the time she resigned as Executive Director in 2018,  the organization had grown to include over 300 musicians, produced more than 100 unique events, and established the annual Mozart Festival, a free, day-long event that brings live performances of Mozart’s symphonies, operas, and chamber music to bars, coffee shops, and art galleries. 

In April of 2020, Ellen began giving small, private concerts as A Violinist in Your Backyard. While the symphony is unable to perform and gatherings are limited in size, this initiative brings live, personalized concert experiences to Richmonders in the comfort of their own backyards. She has also begun organizing outdoor solo concerts featuring fellow musicians such as pianist Daniel Stipe and cellist Schuyler Slack. 

In addition to maintaining her personal blog, Such Ones As Us, Ellen has written four story form educational shows for string quartet and narrator. One of these shows, Ady’s American Adventure, was published in January of 2020 and has already sold copies all over the United States. 

Ellen grew up in the Pacific Northwest, beginning her violin studies at the age of 5 in Walla Walla, Washington with Kathleen Spring. A few years later, Ellen’s family moved to Portland, Oregon where she studied with Oregon Symphony violinist Clarisse Atcherson. Ellen joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic at the age of 12 and promptly fell in love with orchestral music. 

Ellen lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, musician and pizza maker Giustino Riccio, and their two cats, Helvetica and Mo. She swears by her daily walks through Chimborazo Park, loves cooking vegetarian food from around the world, and still owns that 1971 Volvo.