Ellen Corver studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague with Else Krijgsman and Naum Grubert, in which period she won a number of awards. In 1979 she won the Edith Stein Concours (now the Prinses Christina Concours).

At the conservatoire she encountered Karlheinz Stockhausen and his music, which led to a long term collaboration with this composer, and resulting in the first complete recording of his works for piano played by Corver, which appeared on Stockhausen's own label. Corver also played the piano concertos by György Ligeti and John Cage with the Asko Ensemble. She also worked with György Kurtág. She made her debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a new piano concerto that was specially written for her by Klaas de Vries in 1998.

As well as contemporary music, Corver also plays classical repertoire, with performances of the piano concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Béla Bartók and Maurice Ravel with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Chamber Orchestra and the Residentie Orkest The Hague.

She is also active in chamber music, being a member of the Osiris Trio, and as a duo with pianist Sepp Grotenhuis.

She has been a principal study piano teacher at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague since 1992.