Ella van Poucke (1994, Amsterdam) is one of the leading cellists of her generation. Born into a family of musicians, she entered the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague at the age of 10 and continued her studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Godfried Hoogeveen. She also studied with Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy Masters in Germany, from 2009-2016. She has taken masterclasses and worked with Andras Schiff, Miklos Perenyi, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Yuri Bashmet, Steven Isserlis, Menahem Pressler, Laurence Lesser, Anner Bijlsma, Bernard Greenhouse, Mischa Maisky and the Emerson Quartet, among others.

Ella is the winner of the prestigious Premio Chigiana 2017, the International Isang Yun cello competition 2015, the Grachtenfestival Prize, the Leopoldinum Award 2015, the Prix Nicolas Firmenich 2013, the Elisabeth Everts Award 2014 and the Prix Academie Maurice Ravel 2012. She was proclaimed Dutch Musician of the Year 2012 and received the special prize in recognition of an outstanding performance at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann 2014. 

After making her debut at the Concertgebouw at the age of 10 Ella has performed in all the major halls of the Netherlands, in many top halls in Europe and in the US and Asia. She has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras throughout Europe and collaborated with artists such as Michael Sanderling and Christoph Eschenbach. In 2012 she premiered a cello concerto written for her by the Finnish composer Uljas Pulkkis during the International Cello Biennale in Amsterdam, followed by the German premiere of this work at the Kronberg Festival, with members of the HR-Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt. Additionally, she is a passionate chamber musician, playing with artists like Andras Schiff, Gary Hoffman, Nobuko Imai, Tabea Zimmermann, Christian Tetzlaff, Viviane Hagner, Gidon Kremer, Colin Carr, Pavel Vernikov, Andreas Reiner, Vilde Frang, Simone Lamsma, Christiaan Bor, Philippe Graffin, the Prazak Quartet and the Schumann Quartett. She regularly gives recitals with pianist Jean-Claude vanden Eynden and with her brother Nicolas van Poucke.
As a Dutch 'Rising Star' she was invited to give two Carte Blanche concerts at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in 2013-2014.

She has been a guest at numerous international festivals in Europe, such as Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Krzyzowa Music, Chigiana International Festival, Kaposfest Hungary, the Internationaal Kamermuziekfestival Utrecht, and the Cello Biennale Amsterdam, to name a few, and was invited to participate in the Verbier Festival Academy in 2009, 2013 and 2014. In 2017 she was Artist in Residence with the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands and in 2018 at the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam.

Ella regularly appears on Dutch radio and television. She has performed for ARTE TV in Germany and France and appeared in Germany's Stars von Morgen, hosted by Rolando Villazon. 

Ella plays a 1620 Maggini cello, kindly lent to her by an anonymous benefactor.

Website Ella van Poucke