Ellen Schinnerer Deffner began specializing in piano accompaniment in London, where she was a student at the Guildhall. While in Europe she was an accompanist and coach for master classes given by Pierre Bernac and Gerard Souzay at the Academie Internationale de Musique de Maurice Ravel in France. While at the Guildhall, Ellen studied harpsichord with the late Christopher Kite. She has also studied here with Phoebe Craig. Since returning to the USA, she has been on the faculties of UC Santa Barbara, Reed College, and the University of Portland in Oregon. Broadcast performances have included appearances on British and French television as well as Minnesota Public Radio. She has been the harpsichordist for Sacramento Baroque Soloists since 2002.