Biography
Singer-Guitarist ELISE WITT was born in Switzerland, raised in North Carolina, and since 1977 has made her home in Atlanta. She speaks fluent Italian, French, German, Spanish, and English and sings in at least a dozen languages. Among her ancestors, Elise claims "Wedding March" composer Felix Mendelssohn and his grandfather, Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn; Protestant cow farmers from northern Germany; Russian chemists; Polish intellectuals; French Bordeaux wine growers; a British painter; and a great great aunt from Cuba.
Since 1977, Elise has been working professionally as a Singer, Composer, Recording Artist, Educator, and Community Activist around the United States and the globe.
Elise has been a cultural ambassador to South Africa, China, Italy, Nicaragua, and Switzerland, and she has criscrossed the United States with her Global, Local & Homemade Songs™ - from New York's Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the People's Voice Café to festivals like Clearwater's Hudson River Revival, Falcon Ridge, the North Georgia Folk Festival, and the Marin County Fair in California; from Minneapolis' Gingko Coffeehouse to Nashville's Bluebird Cafe; and from the Open Door Commuunity to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change. For the Kennedy Center's 25th Anniversary Celebration, Elise represented the State of Georgia.
The Raleigh Times says, "Her performance is like a suitcase plastered with stickers from around the world… populated with interesting characters both heroic and comic." Elise's music is as colorful as her background. She has nine recordings on the EMWorld label, and is working on 3 new recordings. Her original songs have been used in several documentary films, and include the anthem "Open the Window" (inspired by a Georgia Sea Islands Spiritual), "Why Are Our Eyes in the Front of Our Heads?" (a capella jazz vocal ); "Those Gorgeous Fishes" (an ode to snorkeling); "Natural Phenomena" (a song about spiders, lynx, salmon, eel, and humans, sung to the tune of a Greek sirtaki); "That Silver Sliver of a Moon" (a celestial love song); the irreverant "Too Busy for the Blues"; and "Au Revoir Les Bateaux" (a bluesy bi-lingual tune). Elise has collaborated with a number of choirs and vocal ensembles as both composer and conductor. Many of her songs have are available as Choral Arrangements by Michael Holmes.
In addition to her own songs and songs by songwriter friends from around the United States, a concert also introduces audiences to Chilean songwriter Violeta Parra's moving love song to life "Return to Age Seventeen;" "The Time of Cherries" (an ancient and haunting French waltz); the spirited "Michelemmà" (from Italy's sunny South), as well as songs in Kiswahili, Japanese, Danish, Hebrew, English, and Sign Language.
Elise's training is as eclectic and varied as her music. She sang for 20 years with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus under the direction of choral master Robert Shaw, as well as in the Robert Shaw Singers, which was the Resident Choir at Spivey Hall, and performed annually at Carnegie Hall. Elise has studied with masters of improvisation Bobby McFerrin, David Darling (founder of Music for People), and is currently part of a 16-voice ensemble engaged in intensive study with master teacher and singer Rhiannon.
In addition to concert performances - solo; in duo with her partner Mick Kinney; or with her Mezzanine Band - Elise also works internationally as a Teaching Artist, conducting residencies in universities, colleges, middle, high, and elementary schools. Allied Arts in Milledgeville GA calls Elise "every residency director's dream." Elise uses singing to get students excited about language and intercultural dialogue, as well as writing songs with students about curriculum subjects.
Aside from quirky song titles and international flair, the real reason to go hear Elise Witt is her charismatic stage presence and her gorgeous voice. The Louisville KY Courier says, "Her straightforward charm and pure, strong voice are truly fine music to the ears." All of Elise's songs come straight from the heart. Her voice has the power to carry you to distant lands as well as inner landscapes. And by the end of a concert, it is not unusual to have the entire audience (self-professed "non-singers" included) to be singing in fabulous four-part harmony!
"A performer to remember with international savvy & personal charm"
-- The Kennedy Center
"A really delightful concert from the honey voiced Atlanta songwriter who sings the world."
-- Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival
"Fun, playful, enjoyable, exciting, thought-provoking, and just plain old good music"
-- The Community Review
"Wide horizons and a repertoire that borrows from many countries with a spirit of universal humanism"
-- Le Cri Du Coyote, France
REPRESENTATIVE US PRESENTERS
Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, New York NY
Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
The Kennedy Center, Washington DC
Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change, Atlanta GA
Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Macon GA
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Hillsdale NY
Clearwater Festival, Poughkeepsie NY
Duke University Concert Series, Durham NC
Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Macon GA
Club Passim, Cambridge MA
People’s Voice, New York NY
Chautauqua Festival, DeFuniak Springs FL
The Bluebird, Nashville TN
Institute of Musical Traditions, Takoma Park MD
Eastern Alabama Peace & Justice Coalition, Auburn AL
WUWF-NPR “Radio Live”, Pensacola FL
Piedmont Council for Traditional Arts Concert Series, Raleigh NC
It’s A Beautiful Day, Milwaukee WI
Tomorrow River Concert Series, Amherst WI
Ginkgo Coffeehouse, St. Paul MN
Mill Mountain Playhouse, Roanoke VA
Duke University Concert Series, Durham NC
Local Color, Springville AL
Strathmore Center, Rockville MD
REPRESENTATIVE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTERS
Concerti Villa Giulia, Pallanza ITALY
University of Biel, Biel SWITZERLAND
Harvest Festival, Matagalpa NICARAGUA
New Year’s Celebration, Polokwane SOUTH AFRICA
Concerti in Piazza, San Gimigano ITALY
Teatro Studio, Roma ITALY
ELISE WITT with MICK KINNEY
Imagine a cabaret starring Fats Waller and Edith Piaf. When Mick Kinney’s wry humor and exquisite piano playing meet Elise Witt’s nightingale voice and world music repertoire, just such an unlikely but perfect musical event is created. With songs from the sublimely romantic to the superbly ridiculous, Elise and Mick complement each other's compositions, singing soulful harmonies and engaging the audience with their hilarious antics. The duo's repertoire includes originals like "You Got Me" and "Bittersweet" (duets penned by Kinney and accompanied by his jazz piano), “Spiral” (Elise's swing theory) and her love song to science "Natural Phenomena" (with Elise’s guitar and Mick's fiddle spanning Georgia old time, Greek sirtaki, and French gypsy). Add to this a bevy of songs in a variety of languages, and a few selections where the audience becomes the glorious back up chorus, and you have a portrait of an unforgettable evening with Mick & Elise.
BIO
MICK KINNEY
www.CDBaby.com/MickKinney
www.CDBaby.com/MickKinney2
“He sure do play them horse teeth!” quipped 95 year old clarinetist Stranger Malone of Mick’s barrel house style. Along his musical journey, Mick Kinney has played stride piano at Manhattan’s Swing 46 with veteran tap dancer Harold Cromer (of Stump & Stumpy), fiddle with Creole jazzman Al Broussard in New Orleans’ French Quarter, and lap steel at Louisiana’s Cajun Rendez-vous. He has performed at McCabe’s in Los Angeles, the Bluebird in Nashville, and on NPR’s Mountain Stage. A native of Wisconsin, making his home in Atlanta since 1977, Mick is a versatile accompanist. He has worked with John Hartford, Sarah Guthrie, Vic Chesnut, Victoria Williams, and REM’s Peter Buck. Mick is also a composer/lyricist par excellence, and his songwriting reflects his eclectic background. He calls his songs “videos for ther ear.” “Nothing Left to Chance,” his recording of original songs, was named Critics Choice by “Creative Loafing,” and Best Unknown Artist by “Stomp and Stammer.” His newest CD “Rag Nouveau” of original ragtime piano compositions has won high praise from experts in the genre. His next recording project will be a collection of Old Time Georgia fiddle tunes. collected in his tenure with the “old guys” at the Kennesaw Flea Market, as well as during his years of collaboration with Kasper “Stranger” Malone (1909 – 2005), who played with such string band luminaries as Clayton McMichen, Lowe Stokes, and Hoke Rice, as the Melody Men. Mick is also a beloved teacher of fiddle, piano, guitar, banjo, and music theory in his home of Atlanta and at workshops around the country and abroad.
* Elise is on the roster of the NEA/Alternate ROOTS Tour Program, Georgia Council for the Arts Touring Roster and Teaching Artist Bank, Southern Artistry, United Arts, and many other state and local arts councils.
* Elise is a fellow at the Hambidge Center for the Arts and the Atlantic Center for the Arts. She is a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Publishers), Alternate ROOTS, Music for People, the Children's Music Network.
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Website http://www.elisewitt.com
For Presenters http://www.sonicbids.com/EliseWitt
To purchase CDs
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt3 Love Being Here
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt2 Open The Window
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt1 Mezzanine
http://www.eFolkMusic.org
EMWorld Records
PO Box 148
Pine Lake GA 30072 USA
(404) 297-8398
Instrumentation
SOLO:
ELISE WITT - Vocals, Guitar, Piano (if available onsite)
DUO:
MICK KINNEY - Vocal, Piano (prefer acoustic piano onsite, but can bring keyboard), Fiddle, Squeeze Box, Melodica
ELISE WITT - Vocal, Guitar, Piano
ELISE WITT & THE MEZZANINE BAND:
5-piece band w/ Vocal harmonies, piano, guitar, bass, tuba, accordion, fiddle, sax, clarinet, and flute.
Discography
LOVE BEING HERE © 2003 EMWorld Records
www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt3
Elise Witt with guest artists Mick Kinney (piano, vocals), Kasper “Stranger” Malone (clarinet), Don Erdman (tenor sax), Maurice Turner (trumpet), L.A. Tuten (bass), Kinah Boto (drums), Beverly Botsford (percussion), Renato Pompilio (guitar), Scott Douglas (‘mbira, kalimba), Jez Graham (piano), Bobby Lee Rogers (guitar, vocals), DeDe Vogt (bass, vocals), Johnny Mosier (guitar), Daniel Brown (cello, violin)
1) I Love Being Here With You (Peggy Lee & Bill Schluger)
2) You Know (Elise Witt)
3) Dicitencello Vuje / Tell Her (Enzo Fusco, Rodolfo Falvo)
4) Una Nuova Armonia / A New Harmony (Elise Witt)
5) Mimosa Time (Elise Witt)
6) The Farmer & The Gypsy (Elise Witt)
7) You Got Me (Mick Kinney)
8) Si Tú Supieras / If You Knew (Jorge Guitart / Mick Kinney)
9) Manhã de Carnaval (Antonio Maria, Luiz Bonfa)
10) La Vie en Rose (Edith Piaf, M. David Louiguy)
11) Un Día Antes / A Day Before (Carlos Schroeder, Elise Witt)
12) Looking for Ways to Disappear (Elise Witt)
13) Singen Macht Alles Gut (Adalberto von Chamisso, Elise Witt)
14) You’re My Dish (Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh)
15) Bonne Nuit (Good Night) Lullaby (Mick Kinney)
OPEN THE WINDOW© 1997 EMWorld Records
www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt2
Elise Witt with guest artists Joyce Williams, Jacqueline Howard, Janna Nelson, Janet Metzger (vocals), DeDe Vogt (bass, vocals), L.A. Tuten (bass), Linda Bolley (drums), Don Erdman (tenor sax), Greg McLean (trumpet), Neal McElroy (trombone), Jeff Mosier (banjo), Johnny Mosier (guitar), Mark Van Allen (pedal steel), Rodger French (accordion), Scott Hooker (piano), David Marcus (piano, percussion, vocals), Fred Moss (clarinet, flute), Susan Ottzen (harp)
1) Spiral (Elise Witt)
2) Lake Song (Elise Witt)
3) My Dearest Wish (Elise Witt)
4) Thank You (Elise Witt)
5) Too Busy for the Blues (Elise Witt)
6) Natural Phenomena (Elise Witt)
7) Au Revoir Les Bateaux / Bye Bye Boats (Elise Witt)
8) Rufus Eddie (Elise Witt)
9) Everything & Nothing (Elise Witt)
10) 21st of June (Elise Witt)
11) Those Gorgeous Fishes (Elise Witt)
12) YRRIs / Why Are Our Eyes in the Front of our Heads? (Elise Witt)
13) Open the Window (Elise Witt, inspired by a Georgia Sea Islands Spiritual)
MEZZANINE© 1993 EMWorld Records
www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt1
Elise Witt with guest artists Oteal Burbridge (bass), Jeff Sipe aka Apt. Q258 (percussion), Matt Mundy (mandolin), Mauricio Amaya (charango, zampoñas), David Marcus (guitar), Johnny Mosier (guitar), DeDe Vogt (bass, vocals), Susan Clearman (accordion), Kate Spiker (euphonium), Bill Scott, Gerry Polk (trumpet), Greg McLean (fluegel horn), Neal McElroy (trombone), Don Erdman (tenor sax), Michael Fauss (piano), Paul Warner (cello), Angel Rodriguez (congas, cabasa), Bill Fleming (pedal steel), Janet Metzer, The Jasmine Chorus (vocals)
1) Pleated Pants (Jeff Spencer)
2) Moon Suite (Elise Witt / Traditional Argentine lullaby / Peter Rowan)
3) Lil’s Song (Elise Witt)
4) La Bambina ed il Gabbiano / The Girl and the Seagull (Gino Sansonne)
5) Disney Suite (Washington, Irvine,
6) The Homeless Olympics (Joyce Brookshire)
7) Le Temps des Cerises / The Time of Cherries (Traditional French)
8) Stairway to Paradise (Ira & Gershwin)
9) Addije Addije / Farewell (Traditional Italian)
10) Volver a los Diecisiete / To Return to Age Seventeen (Violeta Parra)
11) The Wind, The Rose, and the Sea (Bob Lucas)
12) The Borderline (Ry Cooder, Jim Dickinson,
13) Night Blooming Jasmine (Elise Witt)
ELISE WITT & SMALL FAMILY ORCHESTRA: 1983-1989 A RETROSPECTIVE© EMWorld Records
www.elisewitt.com
Elise Witt (vocals, guitar)
Mary Witt (vocals, French horn)
Rick Ruggles (vocals, clarinet, mandola, bass clarinet)
Steve Harris (vocals, fiddle, cello)
Beth Heidelberg (vocals, clarinet, soprano sax, flute)
http://www.elisewitt.com
Links
| http://www.elisewitt.com |