Ellen Petersen
Best known for
Banjo
Ellen Petersen is a Missouri-born banjoist who picked up the five-string at her family's first bluegrass festival and now plays in The Petersens family band — a College of the Ozarks chemistry grad and Missouri State MBA who handles the band's marketing and YouTube channel alongside her banjo seat.
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- Born 1992; second-oldest of the Petersen siblings in the Branson, Missouri-based family band The Petersens.
- Picked up the banjo at the family's first bluegrass festival (a chance encounter at Gettysburg) when her father announced "You're going to be the banjo player"; banjoist Jim Mills helped get her started.
- Plays a Hopkins DHP banjo; sings lead and tight family harmony alongside her siblings.
- Reached the Top 48 on Season 14 of American Idol (2015) after auditioning when the show's bus tour came through Branson.
- Earned a B.S. in Chemistry from College of the Ozarks (2014) and an MBA with a marketing certificate from Missouri State University; runs the band's marketing, YouTube channel, social media, and website.
- Married Michael Haygood (of Branson family act The Haygoods) in January 2020; daughter Macy Kate born 2023.
- The Petersens went viral on YouTube in the late 2010s/early 2020s and have built a major online following on top of their daily Branson residency.
