Photo by Ann Beckers of Elly Kellner looking into the camera.

Photo by Corné de Weert

Singer-songwriter Elly Kellner serves up melodic sad songs that have a way of disturbing and comforting the listener all at the same time. With radically honest lyrics and a guitar with just four strings she occupies a unique piece of territory somewhere between jazz and folk. 

Wether it be in her songs or other creative works,  Elly always tries to create from the core of her inner world. All with the firm belief there must be others who’ll recognize the mutual feelings and hopefully feel less alone as a result.

Elly previously worked with Grammy Award-winning producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchel, Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan), Iain Matthews (Fairport Convention, Matthews Southern Comfort) and was awarded with the Tamoil Culture Award for the Arts & Literature. Jury report excerpt: “Elly is able to write about what is sharp and painful in a way that makes it slightly muffled and vague and therefore easier to digest and look at.  At the same time she knows how to make the vague visible with exactly the right words...”

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Photo by Andy Houtman

Singing for people with dementia

2025 - This year Elly Kellner started playing music for residents of one of the nursing homes of Aafje. Aafje is an organization for elderly care, and this specific location houses a small-scale nursing home, primarily for people with various forms of dementia. Starting out as a volunteer buddy for two residents, sometimes also bringing her guitar to amuse them, she was then invited to give small concerts in the different living rooms. 

Smiles all round; some residents close their eyes and dance with their hands, others sing along or get up to do the twist. All feelings are welcomed and singing along is encouraged. The mutual connection is beneficial for everyone in the room. Now Elly regularly performs beautiful songs by others that she herself also has fond memories of.
 
Aafje is currently running a campaign to recruit more volunteers. 

Photo by Corné de Weert

Reunion Botte Hommel

2025 - After some time of silence Elly performed live again in Gebouw-T in Bergen op Zoom during the reunion of the Botte Hommel. She was joined by Martin Putto on drums.

 

 

 

OOR: album review of Out Of The Flames

2023 - Album review by Willem Jongeneelen of Elly Kellner's new album Out Of The Flames in the biggest music magazine of the Netherlands. Listen to the music via all online streaming platforms.

 

🗣 ‘A magazine that really gives a shit’ - Josh Homme

Looking back on the Hete Vuren exhibition

2023 - This video with Elly Kellner in the Markiezenhof was produced by BigBoy Film for Stichting M6. Made as promotion for the exhibition Hete Vuren; the concerts and events that were organised in Bergen op Zoom and the other events that are still yet to come in other city museums. More information on the other locations will be made available here.