Ember Strings
The Duo
Ember Strings performs primarily as a viola duo- Ellen & Chelsea- who met as standpartners in St Pete's Tampa Bay Symphony. They are aligned in their passion for cultivating connection through music with fellow musicians and audiences in diverse settings.
All photos captured and edited by Alissa at Yesterday Today Forever Photography
About Chelsea
Chelsea Tonubbee is the owner and coordinator for Ember Strings, LLC. She is a classically trained violist who is passionate about performing music in intimate settings. She loves that it doesn't require a formal performance setting, and yet, it creates an environment of intimacy between the performers and the audience that sets itself apart from other live music experiences.
In 2020, she received a Master of Music degree in Viola Performance from Pittsburg State University (KS). As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I served as Principal Violist in the Southeast Kansas Symphony Orchestra and as Coordinator for the university string quartet. I have had the privilege of performing regularly with several established ensembles in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas, including the Southern Symphony Orchestra (2010-20), Heartland Opera Theater (2013-20), and the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra (2017-20).
In 2020, Chelsea moved to the Florida Gulf Coast and began playing in the Richey Community Orchestra (20-21) as Principal Violist. Once auditions resumed, she joined the viola section of the Tampa Bay Symphony in 2021. In addition to performing, she also teaches violin and viola students of varying ages and experience at a music studio in Dunedin, FL.
In December of 2023, she and her partner welcomed the birth of their daughter, Elia.
"With Ember Strings, LLC, my goal is to provide clients with kind professionalism and exceptional live music experiences." -Chelsea
About Ellen
Ellen Docherty is a wonderful violist who performs regularly throughout the Tampa Bay area. In 2008, she graduated with a degree in Viola Performance from James Madison University as a student of Amadi Azikiwe. She has performed as a guest artist at the Yachats Music Festival; the Gateways Music Festival; the Flanders Festival in Belgium; the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the American Embassy in Italy, and for the late Pope John Paul II in Vatican City.
Ellen has taught in both public and private school programs, has been a guest clinician for All City Orchestra, an adjudicator for District II Orchestra Assessments in Virginia, a Teaching Fellow at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. She is also a member of the Tampa Bay Symphony in St Pete and has an active private teaching studio.
Her favorite part of being a musician is connecting with people by making music with them in small ensembles and orchestras. In addition to her extensive musical career, she is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) working with women and infants in our community under her business Deeply Latched Lactation.
She lives in St. Petersburg, Fl with her spouse and two children.