Mrs. Eager holds a B.S. in music education and a M.M. in music performance from Mansfield University and the University of Illinois. She has been a teacher with the University of Illinois as a graduate assistant, Lebanon Valley College as a cello instructor, the Carlisle Area School District, the Williamsport Area School District, the School District of Lancaster, and the Southern York County School District as an orchestra director. Presently, she teaches cello and chamber music at Elizabethtown College and will begin teaching at Millersville University in the Fall as the Millersville University Orchestra’s conductor and cello teacher. She spends her summers with the Lancaster County Music Camp as an orchestra conductor and the Strings Excell Elementary String Day Camp as its director and orchestra conductor.

Several of her musical groups were selected to perform for the PMEA Conference including the Lancaster County Junior Orchestra. She has been their conductor and musical director since 1990. She has also guest conducted several orchestra festivals in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She performs regularly as a cellist and has played with numerous orchestras and chamber music ensembles including Allegro, Harrisburg Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, Elizabethtown College Trio and Quatricelli. In 1998 Ellen Eager received the Outstanding String Teachers Award from PADESTA (PA/DEL String Teachers Association). Her most influential teacher who taught her that superb musical training, patience and kindness can go hand-in-hand was Gabriel Maygar, cellist with the Hungarian String Quartet and professor of cello at the University of Illinois. Her professional memberships include the American Strings Teachers Association, Music Educators National Conference, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, National Education Association and American Federation of Musicians. She lives with her husband, Hal.