Ellen Breakfield Glick
Praised for her “skill and poise” and “lovely” playing (Cleveland Plain Dealer), clarinetist Ellen Breakfield-Glick maintains a versatile career as an educator, orchestral clarinetist and chamber musician. She joined the faculty of the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music at Western Michigan University in 2019, where she holds the position of Associate Professor of Clarinet. Prior to her appointment at WMU, Dr. Breakfield-Glick served on the faculty at Cleveland State University from 2013-2019. During the summer, in addition to the Brevard Clarinet Seminar, she serves on the faculty of the University of Michigan MPulse Clarinet Institute, the Hawaii Symphony’s Pacific Music Institute and is in residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Composer’s Seminar. She is a sought after soloist, recitalist and clinician, most recently serving as Guest Faculty at University of Michigan in the fall 2025 semester.
An active orchestral musician, Ellen is Associate Principal Clarinet with CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, a position she has held since 2012. A performer interested in inclusive and innovative programming, she is a founding member of the American Wild Ensemble (AWE), a chamber ensemble formed to commission and engage in context-driven programming. The ensemble has commissioned over 50 works and toured extensively throughout the country, beginning with their inaugural partnership with the US National Park Service. AWE has received awards and grants from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, New Music USA and was a 2020 winner of a Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant, which led to a residency at the University of Hawaii and a tour of the Hawaiian Islands. They have released albums with ArtistShare and New Focus Records and have been featured on composers Yotam Haber and Margaret Brouwer’s recent albums.
Ellen received a Bachelor of Music Degree and Arts Leadership Program Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance.