Hey, my name is Elisa (eh-lee-sah). A long time ago I went to classical music school, but since then I've mostly been playing contemporary + creative music of all different kinds. It started off as mostly free-improvised and experimental music, but these days I like to call the kind of music I make "pretty shred." Like, it shreds and I hope you think it's pretty. As much as I roll my eyes at the angelic/mythical/feminine reputation the harp has, generosity is important to me in music making. My hope is for the listener to feel held in some way- which means sometimes it does sound angelic and dreamy. That being said...I think the harp can be a total boss, and that's why I love it.
BIOGRAPHY
Elisa Thorn (pronounced eh-lee-sah) is a versatile harpist, vocalist, and composer who has emerged as a sought-after figure in the Canadian creative music landscape, renowned for her distinctive and contemporary approach to the harp.
Thorn’s original compositions, weaving together elements of folk, post-rock, jazz, classical, and indie music, are driven by two primary artistic goals: to create music that balances abstraction with accessibility, and sensitivity with boldness.
An avid collaborator, she is passionate about the intersection of composed and improvised music. In 2019, Thorn’s project HUE marked two releases with performances at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, while her duo, The Giving Shapes, debuted their album “Earth Leaps Up” on the American label elsewhere music in 2020. Thorn is also member of the chamber pop trio Gentle Party, whose albums Jouska (2017) and God Complex (2022) were considered for the Polaris Prize with the Phonometrograph label. Her music has received airplay on national stations such as CBC and KEXP, and she has graced the stages of numerous festivals such as Jazzotpad (Poland), Women from Space (Toronto), Campbell Bay Music Festival (Mayne Island), TONE Fest (Toronto), Constellation Festival (Squamish), Suoni Per Il Poppolo (Montreal), Wonderment (Victoria) and Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Versatile across genres, Thorn has contributed to recordings and performances with artists such as Tonye Aganaba, Mother Mother, Loscil, Khari McClelland, Wallgrin, Lief Hall and Mauvey.
Driven by her community-oriented values, Thorn has ventured into the realms of curation and presentation, focusing on fostering accessibility to challenging and abstract art through deliberate methods of presentation. She currently serves as a co-director for the nonprofit organization Vancouver Improvised Music Society and has curated an outdoor house concert series, Woodland Patio Series, since 2014.
DISCOGRAPHY
- The Giving Shapes - Earth Rings Like a Bell (2024)
- Gentle Party - God Complex (2022)
- Elisa Thorn - The Years In Between (2021)
- The Giving Shapes - Earth Leaps Up (2020)
- Elisa Thorn’s HUE - The Other Side: Afterlife Sessions (2019)
- Elisa Thorn’s HUE - Flowers for Your Heart (2019)
- Elisa Thorn - Selenotropic (2019)
- Gentle Party - Jouska (2017)
- Elisa Thorn’s HUE - Hue (2016)
Appears on: - Emily Millard - Hazy Blue (2024)
- Zada - Water in the Desert (2024)
- Haley Blais - Wisecrack (2023)
- Wallgrin - Yet Again The Wheel Turns (2022)
- Ryan Goldmouth - GLDMOUTH (2022)
- Tianna Esperanza - Terror (2022)
- Mother Mother - Inside (2021)
- Alvaro Kasa - Gran Kasa (2020)
- Emily Best - A Storm Came Through (2020)
- Tony Aganaba - Something Comfortable (2019)
- Mother Mother - Dance or Cry (2018)
- Lief Hall - Roses for Ruin (2018)
- David Ward - Violet, Gold and Rose (2018)
- Foot Hills - Foot Hills (2018)
- Christie Grace - Golden Thread (2016)
- Loscil - Adrift (2015)
- David Ward - Transitioning (2015)