Ellen C. Bruner Professional Performing Artist Residency Program
Ellie Bruner founded the Wildwood Artist Series (WAS) in 1990 as a committee of the Mahtomedi Area Educational Foundation (MAEF). The aim of WAS is to provide diverse, family-friendly events, encourage an appreciation of fine arts, and support musical education in our community. Under her leadership, WAS created the Wildwood Artist Series Professional Performing Artist Residency Program, renamed in 2023 to the Ellen C. Bruner Professional Performing Artist Residency Program. The program funds extended residencies by professional performing artists, including clinicians, composers, arrangers, and artists of various cultural backgrounds, to work closely with students at Mahtomedi Public Schools. Currently, WAS provides one residency per year that rotates to the four schools in the district. Ultimately, WAS aims to provide a residency for each school every year.
ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAMS AT MAHTOMEDI PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2024-2025: James Hersch songwriting at Wildwood Elementary
2022-2023: Sowah Mensah at Mahtomedi Middle School
2021-2022 Peter Mayer at O.H. Anderson Elementary School
2020-2021: James Hersch at Wildwood Elementary School
2019-2020: Kyle Pederson with Mahtomedi Middle
and High School Choirs2018-2019: Dr. Scott Agster with Mahtomedi Middle
and High School Bands2017-2018: J.D. Steele at O.H. Anderson Elementary School
2016-2017: Ross Sutter at Wildwood Elementary School