Lauren is a drummer, composer, and educator from Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. There, she studied at the Te Kōki New Zealand School of Music under Lance Phillip and Roger Sellars (Ian Carr’s Nucleus, house drummer at Ronnie Scott’s.)
Since graduating in 2011, Lauren Ellis has made her mark leading and playing for a number of well-known groups including: Richter City Rebels, Gold Nugget Pawn Shop, The Presidents of Funk, Hip Town Bangers, and Son Clave. Those names reflect the varied styles and her versatility as a player, running the gamut from New Orleans second-line to funk, to hard bop, and salsa.
She has also been the drummer for New Zealand’s premier jazz orchestra, The Rodger Fox Big Band, for a number of years. They have performed with luminaries such as Joey DeFrancesco, Mike Stern, and James Carter. The band tours both in New Zealand and internationally, including appearances at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Her association with the band has led to a number of educational opportunities including coaching bands and adjudicating high-school jazz competitions country-wide.
Lauren is currently based in Los Angeles where she recently graduated with a master’s degree at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. There she studied under the tutelage of Peter Erskine and acted as his teaching assistant for 2 years. Lauren proudly endorses Vic Firth sticks and Zildjian Cymbals and can be seen and heard playing on Tamburo’s new line of drumsets.

---