The famous viola player William Primrose once said, after being asked for the umpteenth time, “The difference between violin and viola is that the viola is a violin with a college education.
” This week, PGN spoke to Ellen Trainer, who not only has a college education, but also a master’s in viola performance. A performer with the Philadelphia Pops and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Trainer was preparing to go onstage for “Holiday Pop!” when PGN caught up with her. When asked on the Pops website, “What is the best thing about being a musician?” Trainer replied, “Playing music involves so much emotion and sharing with each other and the audience. It involves so much of one’s own body and mind that you must love what you do. Every one of us cares and shares through our playing. You can feel it and get lost into another reality.”
PGN: You are associated with such Philadelphian institutions. Are you from the area? ET: Yes, I grew up in Delaware County and went to Havertown High School, and then went to Temple for my undergrad and master’s. So I’m pretty much a Philly native.
PGN: Boo! [Laughs.] I went to Radnor High, Havertown was our rival! ET: There you go. It’s all good. We like rivalries, it’s part of the Philadelphia way.
PGN: Very true. Any siblings? ET: Yes, I’m the youngest of three. I have an older brother and sister.
PGN: What was the Trainer house like growing up? ET: Very musical. My dad was a teacher in the Haverford School District, so he taught band and orchestra early in his career before he concentrated solely on band. He became the high-school music director so we went to a lot of football games on the weekends, where he conducted the marching band. I played a string instrument so I couldn’t be in the band, which was OK with me. I don’t think anybody really wants to have their parent as a teacher.
PGN: So you sat in the stands? ET: Oh no, I was part of the band, but I twirled flags. I was always interested in doing group activities of one shape or form: choir, orchestra, sports, you name it. My mom also got a degree from Temple working with special-ed kids but she also played the guitar, so we grew up with a lot of different musical styles. My dad’s instrument was the trombone and he played with a jazz/dance band as well. He was also an organist. We were always around music — whether it was at a concert my dad was playing in or at the mall where his band would play to entertain the shoppers. My brother and sister also played instruments so music was always a big part of our lives.
PGN: So you twirled a flag, huh? ET: I thought you would like that. Yeah, it actually helped with coordination. Learning how to march from this spot to that spot and keep on the right foot and twirl in the right direction, all on beat. I guess I did OK, because by the time I was a senior I was the captain of the squad. We did all the half-time shows at the games and also did some marching-band competitions. We got to travel a little, which was fun.
PGN: So were you a little femme with your flags waving? ET: I guess you could say that, but I’m never quite sure! There was an eight-year difference between me and my brother and he was in charge of watching me a lot. So we were always playing sports, throwing the football or Frisbee. [Laughs.] Personally, I think he always wanted a little brother, but it taught me to love the game. I’m in my 40s and I still love football. I currently play in a flag football league and it’s a blast.
PGN: My older brother was a star running back so we used to play too, but I was more of a tackle dummy for him! ET: I got lucky because my brother wanted to be a quarterback, so he needed someone to throw passes to. He would throw the ball 60 feet up in the air and I was supposed to try and catch it! That’s what happens when they’re like 16 and you’re 8. You learn to be tough. So I had the flag-twirling side, but I was also a tomboy for most of my life. It wasn’t until college that I started getting into clothes and makeup and the more feminine side of life — including noticing other women!
PGN: When did you know that you were gay? ET: For me it was not something that I really realized until later on in life. I think my first crush was in seventh grade. I had mono and had to go twice a week for blood tests and I was smitten with the woman who drew the blood! A lot of people ask, “How did you know?” and I think there were always little crushes, I just wasn’t in tune with what it was. As I got older, I developed close friendships that became more than friendships and that developed into a lifestyle for me.
PGN: Outside of music, a favorite hobby? ET: My partner, Isobel, and I are into rehabbing historical houses. We buy properties that Realtors call — what’s the term? — maintenance deferred! That pretty much means you walk in and there’s a bucket under the sink and tiles falling off the roof and a garden that’s overrun. We just got a property a few years ago in Rehoboth that was in bankruptcy and fixed it up so now we have a beautiful house in Rehoboth. I’m a big animal lover too, so it’s great to take the kids down for walks on the beach. I’m also always trying to improve my golf game.
PGN: How did you meet Isobel? ET: Well, I didn’t meet her. A college roommate of mine met her and gave her my number but forgot to tell me. So I get a call from someone saying, “Hi, I’m Isobel!” and I responded, “Uh, yes, what can I do for you, Isobel?” We finally figured out the connection and had a good conversation and then talked a few more times before meeting up. We agreed that when we met up, if the romantic attraction wasn’t there, that we would continue to be friends. Eighteen years later and we’re still together.
PGN: And you have kids? ET: No! [Laughs.] I meant our dogs, Tiffany and Badger: They’re like kids to us.
PGN: So tell me about the musical career. ET: Basically, as soon as I got my master’s and got out of college, I auditioned for the Chamber Orchestra, which at the time was known as the Concerto Soloists 16. I started playing with them and, as I got known, I started playing other places. I auditioned for the Opera Company of Philadelphia and it took me three tries to get in with them, but perseverance paid off and I eventually got a job. Now I play with them as well as with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. I believe I’ve been with them since 1995. Peter Nero is a great person to play with. I also play with the Academy of Vocal Arts, the Philly Singers and on occasion I’ll get hired to play on a studio recording. I’ve gotten to play with Patti Labelle and all three tenors, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti.
PGN: Did Patti cook for you? ET: She didn’t cook while I was there but she invited everyone out for dinner. As you probably know, most singers are not in their best voices in the morning. Most prefer to sing in the evening after they’ve had a chance to warm up during the day. We had a session with her one night. After it was over she said to the whole crew, “Hey, I’ve had you cooped up all day, let me take you out to eat.” Unfortunately, I was sick and couldn’t go! She was such a genuinely nice person. It would have been nice to hang out with her. Did she ever cook for you?
PGN: No, I’ve done a few things with her, but never one of her famous barbecues. She did invite me as her guest to a concert at the Paradise Garage in New York. It was crazy, she had two shows — one at 1 a.m. and one at 4 a.m. We decided it would be fun to go to the 4 a.m. show. That was back when I could still hang like that! ET: Wow, that’s cool.
PGN: Any other celebrity encounters? ET: Well, a holiday story, I got to perform with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on QVC when they were promoting their Christmas CD. It was pretty cool because we did four performances at different intervals, one in the morning, two in the afternoon and evening and one in the middle of the night. So we got to hang out in between. It was interesting to get all the behind-the-scenes inside scoop.
PGN: Do you get to travel a lot? ET: Not really. I did go on tour with the “Star Wars in Concert” series. We were on the road for a month. We did something like 17 cities in 30 days, so it was pretty intense but fun. I was amazed at what a huge following “Star Wars” had. It was also one of the first times I got to work with Dirk Brossé, the new musical director of the Chamber Orchestra. He was the maestro for the “Star Wars” tour and I was the principal viola so we got to know each other a little bit. I didn’t know he was soon to be my new director and when the tour was over, I joked to him, “Maestro, it was so nice to meet me: I’m sure our paths will cross again!” A year later, he was here. He’s a really great guy so I was happy for it. We’re very lucky to have him here in Philadelphia, very lucky.
PGN: What’s a crazy mishap on stage? ET: Well, I am happy to say that I never have had a mishap on stage, but one time I was headed to the theater, fully dressed, when I looked down and realized that I was still wearing my fuzzy slippers. I had to turn around and race back to the house to change shoes!
PGN: If you could pick a dream quartet to play with, who would be in it? ET: Oh wow, I’d want to start with Yo-Yo Ma. I mean he’s the ultimate modern cellist. Bobby McFerrin would be my next pick. He does such interesting things with his voice. He’s so cool, it would be amazing to see him up close, and the two of them are such opposites — classical vs. jazz/pop — that they’d probably come up with something really incredible … plus they’d be awesome to play with. If I had to pick a third person I wanted to work with, I don’t think she’s musically inclined, but Angelina Jolie would be my choice. Because of her humanitarian work, and what she and Brad do for the world, I’d love to find a way to incorporate her.
PGN: I once saw Audrey Hepburn at the Academy of Music reading aloud from Anne Frank’s diary while being accompanied by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Maybe you could have Angelina do something like that! ET: That would be cool.
PGN: Since the holidays are coming up, a favorite Christmas memory? ET: Growing up in the Trainer household was pretty awesome. My mom’s German and Christmas is a huge holiday in the German tradition so we really did it big. My parents used to drape off the living room a week before Christmas so we couldn’t see what was going on as they prepared it for St. Nicholas. On Christmas Eve, we would go to a midnight service, which was always special, with beautiful lighting and music. Then we would come home and the kids would all go upstairs and get in our pajamas. We would sit on the top of the steps and my dad would get this old humongo video camera with a big bright spotlight on the top that looked like something the police used when they pulled you over. You’d come down in your pajamas, almost falling down the steps because you were half blind from the camera light, and go into the Christmas room, where we’d first see the giant tree. It was lit with real candles and it was an amazing sight. Then my dad would play the piano and we would have Christmas tea and homemade cookies that my mom would bake and we would all sing holiday songs. It was just such a nice, warm family tradition. It was amazing and we loved it.
PGN: Funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still talk about? ET: Well, it’s back to Christmas. One year when I was very young, one of the first Christmases when I could speak and start to comprehend what was going on, I got my first gift. I was really excited and played with it for a while and my parents gave me a second gift. I was confused and said, “No, I already got mine.” They explained that we got more than one each and I went crazy. I started unwrapping the next present and then the next. When there were no more left, I started to cry. So now every time someone goes away or I have a birthday they joke that they’d better bring lots of presents so I don’t cry.
PGN: What would be the title of your autobiography? ET: “Ellen Trainer: The Woman Who Thought She Could.”
PGN: They couldn’t pay me enough to do … what job? ET: [Laughs.] I don’t think there’s any job I wouldn’t do! Especially if they paid me enough money, shoot! I’m a landlord, I have to do a lot of crazy and sometimes disgusting stuff. You just have to get into that Nike mindset — Just Do It — and jump in.
PGN: Since you’re a musician, three sounds you love and three you hate. ET: OK, I love the sound of an organ in a European church, the sound of a harp playing at funerals and the sound of a cat purring. Three that I hate would be nails on a chalkboard, screeching tires and any animal in pain.
PGN: I frequently … ET: Complain about Philadelphia sports teams!
If you’re looking to get in the holiday spirit, the show runs through Dec. 22 and features The Philadelphia Boys Choir, The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas and theater alum Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway. For information, visit phillypops.org.
To suggest a community member for “Family Portrait,” write to [email protected].