This week, we celebrate the Tiny Desk Contest community with concerts by some of our favorite entrants over the years.
Dora Levite | January 30, 2026 Before I started working on the Tiny Desk Contest, I had already seen and fallen in love with Ollella. Back in her hometown, Seattle, I'd witnessed Ellie Barber's nostalgic indie folk fill a space with simply a cello and an upright bass. Barber often describes Ollella as more than a band but a "collaborative project across the city" — this iteration behind the Desk is a snapshot of a years-long project.
Barber's music is often playful, occasionally a little sad and always guided by strings. Ollella's set celebrates years of submitting to the Contest with "Lava," a song that explores where our childlike wonder goes as we get older. "At Rest" is a contemplation on stillness, which is punctuated by a sweeping solo from upright bassist Kelsey Mines.
When we looked back on the past decade and change of artists we've found through the Contest, we almost couldn't believe Ollella hadn't come by the Desk already. As Barber and her band played songs that we'd heard countless times during the Contest, it felt like a full circle moment — we couldn't help but sing along.
SET LIST "Mothers & Colors" "Lava" "Optimist" "At Rest"
MUSICIANS Ellie Barber: vocals, cello Abby Gundersen: violin, background vocals Kelsey Mines: bass Taylor Heath: keys, piano Jordan Cunningham: guitar Henry Allen: drums Kate Dinsmore: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM Producers: Elle Mannion, Bobby Carter Director/Editor: Maia Stern Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault Production Assistant: Dhanika Pineda Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez Series Editor: Lars Gotrich Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Felix Contreras Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Executive Director: Sonali Mehta Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
#nprmusic #tinydesk #ollella
Support for NPR Music comes from Moises. A platform created by musicians, for musicians and used by 70 million artists worldwide – to learn, create, and collaborate. Available for download.
