Gretchen Elise
Gretchen Elise Illustration Divider

Gretchen Elise: Composer & Performer

Gretchen Elise bridges different musical genres and communities. Raised in Philadelphia, Norway and Germany, Gretchen Elise's
international perspective adds a unique flavor to the US-American jazz and R&B roots of her original compositions. Recently relocated back to Philadelphia, she is reconnecting with the sounds of Temple University Jazz station WRTI and classic soul/R&B WDAS which shaped her musical identity starting in her youth.

As of 2007, Gretchen Elise is gearing up to record her second release (and first full length CD). She will be recording in Boston MA and in Philadelphia PA, also collaborating with musicians from Camden, NJ.

Gretchen Elise's first original CD recording Are You Ready? (2004/BMI) combines her myriad influences in collaboration with some of Boston's best jazz and world musicians. Produced by Mark Shilansky, Gretchen Elise and Jon Chase, Are You Ready? defies categorization, bridging jazz, neo-soul, R&B, Caribbean and Brazilian influences. Gretchen Elise's performances are spontaneous, interactive experiences. Originally a gymnast and competitive dancer, Gretchen Elise brings her comfort with movement and attention to the stage. Through audience participation, she incorporates listeners of all ages into her evolving arrangements. With audience creating body percussion, spontaneously creating background lyric lines, or responding to calls from the stage, performances bridge concert atmosphere and town meeting vibe. Gretchen Elise's performing career began in 1994 in Berlin, where she sang and composed for an East German rock band, a jazz combo and a World Music Orchestra. In Boston, where she lived 1997-2006, she performed with her own combo. She also performed solo, in jazz duos, and Brazilian jazz ensembles. Boston area venues include Ryles, Zeitgeist Gallery (Now the Lily Pad), the Milky Way, and the Western Front and the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center.

Mentored in voice study, composition, and in connecting the arts and social activism by Mili Bermejo of Berklee College of Music, Gretchen Elise also studied at Longy School of Music and the New England Conservatory, and received a M.Ed. in the Arts in Education Program at Harvard Graduate School of Educationin 2006.