Eric Hopkins Ellingsen, tenor

Eric started singing while living on a small hobby farm on a gravel road in Oregon, Illinois: a small town 100 miles west of Chicago. Ever since he could remember he was always putting on plays, making up songs, and performing them with the help of his twin sister, Edie. He started singing in church and school and has never stopped. High school was a blur of musicals, concerts, competitions and trips. Eric was active in choir and band, singing and playing saxophone, piano, bassoon, and clarinet. Eric attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, studying music and vocal performance. He studied voice with Dr. David Judisch and sang under Weston Noble in the Luther College Nordic Choir, touring all across the US, Eastern Europe and Russia.

After graduation, Eric did what most Luther grads do and moved to Minneapolis. He worked many odd day jobs through the years to support his music hobby. But through it all he was still performing and using his vocal gift. Eric started his professional career by singing with The Dale Warland Singers for five years. Once Dale retired he joined Matthew Culloton as a charter member of The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists. Eric has also been singing, ringing, and cantoring at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Bloomington, MN, since 2000. Eric and his husband Andrew live in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

In his spare time Eric enjoys reading and watching movies. Current listening interests include the works of Pavarotti, anything by Rufus Wainwright, Imogen Heap, and Feist.

Meet the Singer - Eric Hopkins Ellingsen
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hopkins<at>cantusonline.org