ELLENI MAUREAS, THE FLUTIST

Ms. Elleni Maureas born on October 11, 1974, is a living legacy of a family of musicians. Both her parents, Mike and Vera, are accomplished professional musicians in Southern California. She was raised in an environment of constant musical stimulation and support. She began her studies in music on the flute at age 9 and later went on to study privately with her mentor, Fredrick Staff at age 17.

Elleni Maureas graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s Degree in Ethnomusicology, June 1999. In addition, to an extensive background in classical music, Ms. Maureas has studied and played music from the Near East, Brazil to the Balkans as well as jazz.

Ms. Maureas has guest conducted and soloed with the St. George Chamber Orchestra and has been the principal section lead in several community ensembles. In her last year at UCLA, as member of the World Jazz Ensemble, Elleni performed in a concert that featured distinguished guest, Tito Puente along with Kenny Burrell and Francisco Aguelbella in UCLA’s Schoenburg Hall. After graduation Elleni began teaching orchestra at five elementary schools in South Central Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Elleni continued to pursue her education in music by studying with renowned jazz flutist, James Newton at Cal State Los Angeles while taking her credentialing courses. While at CSULA Ms. Maureas lead three different jazz combos that performed throughout the University community. Elleni also played alto flute for the Culver City Flute Choir. She also performed in Beth the Sybil as the featured instrumental lead at various Los Angeles clubs. In addition to that Elleni performed with her own groups collaborating with guitarist Angelo Metz and bassist Roberto Miranda

In 2003 Ms. Maureas was offered a position as Orchestra Instructor at IS 349 in Bushwick, Brooklyn New York by the New York City Department of Education. So in the summer of 2003 Ms. Maureas moved to New York. At that time Ms. Maureas began studying with esteemed jazz flutist, Elise Wood. In December of 2003 Ms. Maureas participated in the Master Class/Open rehearsal for the “Billy Strayhorn” Concert hosted at Aaron Davis Hall by the John Hicks Big Band.

She also established the jazz ensemble, The NYCA Collective with Elise Wood, Angelo Metz and Leo Nobre. The Collective toured Southern California playing at Spazio’s. The Collective also performed at Cornelia Street Cafe last November.

Ms. Maureas is currently a Master's Degree candidate, in Jazz Performance, at New York University's Steinhardt School. She studies with Bryan Lynch privately as well as with mentor Elise Wood. She is the flutist for the NYU Latin ensemble, where they performed her original “Beautiful Epiphany” at Garage Jazz Restaurant this spring. Elleni also plays in the Robert Dick Ensemble.

She has also performed with NYU’s Graduate Big Band at the 2006 IAJE Conference in a concert that included Gil Goldstein, Kenny Werner, Richard Bona, Dafnis Preito, Bryan Lynch and Chris Potter. She has been studying composition with Richard Shemaria. She has written several compositions and arrangements for different size ensembles. Ms. Maureas was a participant in the NYU Jazz Composer’s forum with Jim McNeely where she debued a nonet piece “Sonny’s Payne” and big band score “The Mrytle Tree”.

While at NYU Elleni has been essential in establishing the NYU Jazz Outreach Program that offers free workshop style performances to budding school age musicians through out the NY Department of Education. Ms. Elleni has studied film scoring with Mike Patterson and was an assistant in the recent NYU Film Scoring Workshop in Memory of Buddy Baker.

In the past year Elleni has been collaborating with Mike Hyziak in writing film scores under the name EMMPH.
Ms.Maureas plays in the NYU Latin Jazz Ensemble, the Robert Dick Ensemble the NYCA Collective (with Elise Wood) in different venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. Ms. Maureas also retains her ties to Southern California and plays regularly there.

Reference - AAJ