Women Composing

a celebration through the centuries to the present


Ellen Fullman (born 1957)

Ellen Fullman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She studied sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute, but also began performing music. In New York City, she has collaborated with composer Pauline Oliveros and the Kronos Quartet.

Ellen Fullman is an instrument builder, particularly associated with Long String instruments. These are instruments with strings so long that they vibrate below the range of human hearing but produce overtones within hearing range.

This video is a composition called Harbors. Ellen Fullman plays a Long String instrument with strings up to 100 feet long that she sets vibrating with rosin-coated fingers. She is accompanied by composer and cellist Theresa Wong, who can be spotted in the opening scenes on the left behind the audience.