Enrico Elisi
University of Toronto, Professor of Piano
Born and raised in Bologna, Italy, Enrico Elisi has been hailed for his “mastery of elegance, refinement, and fantasy” (La Nueva España). He regularly performs to acclaim throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia and his interpretations reveal “remarkable sensitivity, imagination, and polish,” (Baltimore Sun).
In Italy he has appeared in historical settings such as La Fenice Theatre, Venice; Palazzo Vecchio, Florence; Bibiena Theatre, Mantua; Pavarotti Opera House, Modena; Teatro Comunale and Sala Bossi, Bologna; Sala dei Giganti, Padua; Sant’Anna dei Lombardi Church, Naples, as well as the Amalfi Cathedral. He has also given recitals in various European countries including France, Germany, Portugal, Slovak Republic and Spain. In Asia he performed in South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Recent engagements include recitals at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the New York Public and Morgan libraries, the Italian Embassy and National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., the Centro Cultural de España, in Lima, Peru.
Elisi has appeared with the Florence Symphony (Italy); Orchestra Classica de Porto (Portugal); Bay Atlantic Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, Williamsport Symphony, Pennsylvania Centre, Penn State Philharmonic, Penn’s Woods, UNLV Chamber and Johns Hopkins Symphony orchestras (USA). He also debuted as soloist/conductor with the Green Valley Festival Chamber Orchestra.
Among Elisi’s awards are top prizes in the Venice Competition (Italy) and the Oporto International Competition (Portugal). After winning nine first prizes in competitions throughout Italy and the US, and having garnered a dozen of other top prizes and awards, Elisi was selected as a Le Gesse Fellow and performed in Toulouse, France, and New York’s Weill Recital Hall.
Via Classica, a German radio station, offered a two-hour broadcast of Elisi’s live recital in Hamburg followed by an interview. Additional radio broadcasts include Montebeni Classica FM (Italy), WCLV Cleveland, UNC, KCNV Nevada Public Radio, and KGCS (USA). He also appeared in a TV broadcast for WPSU and Portuguese national TV.
An avid chamber musician, Elisi has performed at the Taos and Ravinia Festivals, collaborated with the New Orford String Quartet, and principal players from the Baltimore, Chicago, and American Symphony Orchestras. Among the numerous partnerships, he also performed with violinists Joan Kwuon, Charles Castleman, Qian Zhou, Federico Agostini (I Musici’s former leader) and violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez.
As a champion of new music, he commissioned and premiered works from composers of many nationalities and performed music of Fedele, Berio at the University of Toronto New Music Festival during Sciarrino’s residence. He also premiered Paul Chihara’s Two Images, at Weill Hall, as well as his latest piano work, Green Pastures (dedicated to Elisi).
A frequent guest at leading music festivals, Elisi appears regularly in such settings as Cincinnati “Art of the Piano,” Montecito, Lee University, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Texas State University festivals, and the Chautauqua Institution (USA); Valencia International Performance Academy and Festival (Spain); Todi Music Masters, Associazione Umbria classica, Amalfi Coast Festival and AmiCa Fest (Italy); Ameri-China Foundation and Sichuan International Piano Festival (China). He was honored to be the featured artist at the Florida and Oklahoma Music Teachers Association State Conferences and he recently performed at the American Liszt Society Festival at Northwestern University.
Dr. Elisi recently joined the distinguished Faculty of Music of the University of Toronto as an associate professor, having previously taught at the Eastman School, the Pennsylvania State University, and UNLV. His current and former students include prizewinner in competitions; hold teaching posts; performed with orchestras (including the Rochester Philharmonic and Dallas Chamber Symphony); gave debut recitals from New York to Caracas, Paris and Seoul; garnered fellowships and scholarships at summer programs and have been accepted in Artist Diploma (Rice University among others), MM, and DMA programs in prestigious institutions in the US and abroad.
Elisi also presented hundreds of master classes, both in conjunction with his performing engagements, at Northwestern University, Boston University, Cincinnati College-Conservatory, Temple University, the University of Michigan (USA); Taylor Academy, University of British Columbia, University of Western Ontario (Canada); National Conservatory of Lima (Peru); Royal Academy (Denmark); Accademia delle Marche (Italy); Taipei National University of the Arts (Taiwan); China Conservatory, Shanghai and Xinghai conservatories (China); Academy of Performing Arts, Hong Kong; Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, Singapore; Jakarta Conservatory, Indonesia; Seoul National, Yonsei, Hanyang, Ewha Woman’s, as well as most other major universities in Korea. Elisi also held a guest professorship at the China Zhejiang Art School in Hangzhou, China.
As an adjudicator, he has been on the juries of the Tremplin International, Canadia Music Competition (finals), Glenn Gould School Concerto, Fred Pattison Award, Toronto Steinway, Pacific Rim Festival competitions (Canada); the Iowa, Peabody Yale Gordon, Julia Crane, Fite Young Artist, SMU Concerto and Dallas International, as well as the Nevada, Maryland, Virginia, and Texas State Music Teachers Associations’ (USA); Osimo’s Nuova Coppa Pianisti, in Italy; the Ameri-China Foundation Competition in Chengdu, China.
After studying at the conservatories of Bologna and Florence and the world-renowned Incontri col Maestro International Piano Academy of Imola, Elisi worked with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. After graduation he was invited by his mentor to share a recital at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference. Among his other teachers were pianists Lazar Berman and Boris Petrushansky, respectively pupils of Goldenweiser and Neuhaus, as well as Alexander Lonquich, Franco Scala and Giuseppe Fricelli.
Elisi’s recent performances of Bach selected Partitas and Preludes (a topic that gained him the accomplishment of the Yellowbarn Festival Artist-in-Residence in 2018) will be released in an album by MSR Classics. Previously, he recorded another album dedicated to Mozart sonatas and other works and the trio Two Images by Paul Chihara is featured on Albany Records.Enrico Elisi is a Steinway Artist. He invites his audience to interact with him and “like” his page at www.facebook.com/enricoelisipiano.