Biography

Joan Ellison has been praised for her "vocal prowess....[and] organic grasp of the classic songs" by Michael Feinstein, and has made a specialty of reviving Judy Garland’s repertoire from her golden Hollywood years, live concerts, studio recordings, and television shows. Of her NYC solo cabaret show at 54 Below, Cabaret Scenes Magazine wrote: “[Joan is] Judy-esque in appearance and...a near voice double for her idol.” She made her Cleveland Pops Orchestra debut at Severance Hall in 2005 and has since sung more than 70 symphony concerts coast-to-coast.

Joan recently made her professional European debut, performing Get Happy! A Judy Garland Celebration at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and the National Opera House in Wexford with the Niall Kinsella Orchestra. Other recent engagements of Get Happy! include the Symphonies of Jacksonville, Portland, New Haven, Toledo, Springfield, Tuscaloosa, Holland, Paducah, Punta Gorda, Gulf Coast (upcoming), and Hilton Head. Recent concert highlights include a recreation of Garland’s 1961 Carnegie Hall concert hosted by Judy’s daughter, Lorna Luft; Judy & Liza at the Palladium with the Santa Rosa Pops; It’s Magic! Joan Ellison Swings in High Fidelity and Retrophonic Christmas with orchestras across the U.S. including the New Haven Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Augusta Symphony,  Erie Philharmonic, Whiting Park Festival Orchestra, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic (upcoming), Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Rogue Valley Symphony (upcoming), Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic (upcoming), Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota, New Albany Symphony, Enid Symphony, and North Charleston Pops; and sold-out performances of her cabaret show, Love Finds Judy Garland, at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. 

Joan played the role of Ms. Garland in the first U.S. professional regional production of The Boy From Oz, as well as classic leading-lady roles including Julie in Carousel, Nellie in South Pacific, Eliza in My Fair Lady (in-concert), Lizzie in 110 in the Shade, and Maria in The Sound of Music, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Her second album, “Retrophonic Gershwin,” was released in 2015, and during the pandemic she was featured as part of #PBSForTheArts. 

In 2016, Joan embarked on a mission to restore Garland’s original orchestrations. At Michael Feinstein’s invitation she serves as Editor of the Judy Garland Carnegie Hall Concert Restoration Project for the Garland Heirs Trust. Recently, Joan was given the privilege of restoring the newly-rediscovered MGM film arrangement of “Over the Rainbow.” She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and serves as Teacher of Popular Voice at The Cleveland Institute of Music. 

PRESS

...Rare combination of artist, archivist, and arranger...  Michael Feinstein

Another highlight…is Joan Ellison’s wondrous performance of ‘Over the Rainbow.’ Her voice strong and clear,…Ellison gives a master class in interpretation. Painting a picture with her talent and emotion, Ellison’s irresistible performance inspires an electric reaction from the crowd. New Jersey Stage

Ellison captivated her audience through her own vulnerability and passion with song and façon de parler. She doesn’t imitate Garland; instead, she honors her and…intimately portrays and shares a legacy of romance, love, loss, and longing. We were captured by her sumptuous musical badinage and expressed poignant tensions. Ellison is sensually dazzling, graceful, and glittering, from her signature red lipstick and costumes to the music. Elizabeth Ann Foster, Front Row Center

New York deserves to see and hear more of Joan Ellison.  Marilyn Lester, Cabaret Scenes Magazine

[Joan] doesn't just blow off the dust — she gets inside the raw material and inhabits it.  Piers Ford (U.K.), Cry Me a Torch Song

Joan Ellison, on the other hand, is a ringer for Garland... — the voice, the mannerisms, the look. But this is more than an imitation.  She conveys the authority of a superstar. "The Boy from Oz" was worth seeing just for her breathtaking performance.  Bill O’Neill, Collier Citizen

Ellison is all freshness, vulnerability, and charm, singing up a storm (and, yes, a rainbow)...She inhabits the texts as if living them anew.  Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer

The quality of Ellison’s voice was perfect. New York Cabaret Today

…for aficionados of the popular tunes of the first half of the 20th century and those who enjoy hearing George Gershwin’s brilliant compositions and his brother Ira’s inimitable lyrics performed authentically, this is as close as a modern recording will come. Ellison is to be commended not only for her performance, but also for the scholarship and meticulous research she brings to the project.  Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold, Fanfare

Joan Ellison has done a very impressive rendition of Judy Garland's singing style in her stage show performances.  Roger Hall, Film Music Review

...Intensity and hypnotizing stage presence...  Keith Joseph, Scene Magazine

...Sensibility and taste in interpreting and rescuing these songs.  Michael Feinstein

She possesses a crystalline voice that never stops.  Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer

Luminous. She's like a young Audrey Hepburn with a meltingly lovely soprano...You can't take your eyes off her...  Linda Eisenstein, The Plain Dealer

Joan Ellison sings like an angel.  Christine Howey, Scene Magazine

To say 'Joan lit up the stage' is to use a cliche, but that's why the phrase was coined to begin with.  She did just that as she sang the Garland tunes with heartfelt spirit and a warm, vibrant sound — she is a gem!  The audience fell in love at first sight and song.  Eric Benjamin, Conductor and Composer

She caresses ballads with silvery poignancy, nabs the wit in comedy numbers, and emits a belt that Ethel Merman would admire.  Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer