Read past issues of the EK Update newsletter:

2009 Spring

2007 February | April | June | August

2006 February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | November

2005 February | March | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

Sign up for the Elisa Korenne mailing list.

Read Elisa's blog.

Mp3s of Elisa's music are available at itunes and Buy.com.

Press photos available here.

...news | See below for short description, bio, and fact sheet.

March 20, 2009:

We are back in the electronic ether with news and new music on the way.

ON THE WAY: Two live albums will be released this spring.

1. Minnesota's Ordinarily Unsung Concert: Live is a live recording of Elisa's one-hour traveling song and story concert about unusual and unique Minnesotans. This show was commissioned by the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission and performed around Minnesota, including the Minnesota State Fair. Read more about the Ordinarily Unsung project here.

2. The Ordinarily Unsung Project Album features eight new songs about oddballs from American history performed solo and live.

For more information or to order the albums, please contact info@eliakorenne.com.

ON STAGE: Elisa was selected to perform her one-woman concert play The Tenth Muse in the 2009 Minnesota Fringe Festival this July and August in Minneapolis, MN. This past October, Elisa performed "And If Elected," a presidential election show produced bythe American Folklore Theater.

ON TELEVISION: Eight songs from the album Favorite were heard on ABC's All My Children.

ON RESIDENCY: Elisa spent one month this past fall at the Writer's Colony of Dairy Hollow in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. There she worked on writing rock songs to be produced later this year.

ON THE PAGE: Elisa is working on a nonfiction book about her extreme move from New York City to New York Mills in west central Minnesota. The provisional title is How to Move to the Middle of Nowhere: Living in Transition.

“Elisa’s rich voice is amazingly addictive.” — Pulse Weekly

Along with her rich voice, smoldering live performances, and elegant songcraft, Elisa Korenne brings a rare authenticity to her music. After cutting her teeth in the high-caliber New York City music scene, the preeminent independent music retailer CD Baby hailed Elisa as “one of the best we’ve ever heard” and Singer & Musician magazine said she “belongs on anyone’s must-play list.” Over the last two years, Elisa has been gaining national recognition as a songwriter and composer. The Jerome Foundation, the Ucross Foundation, the Hedgebrook Foundation, and the Robert M. MacNamara Foundation selected Elisa as a recipient of four prestigious artistic fellowships based on the quality of her music. As a performer, Elisa has been a headliner at regional, national, and international festivals. In 2005, the Nevers-a-Vif music festival in France chose Elisa to open the line-up of international artists. She has earned songwriting awards from the Plowshares Songwriting Contest, Sisters Folk Festival, Great American Song Contest, Song of the Year, Song Prize, and the Philadelphia Songwriters’ Project. Elisa’s live performances match her songwriting talent; her arresting presence combined with humor, playful insouciance, and her often-remarked upon husky vocals lend her the rare ability of consummate performers to keep listeners riveted.

Elisa’s performing experience spans pop-rock and funk-rock bands, an Israeli blues band, a cappella singing groups, theater, and, most recently, the pop-rock-folk troubadour tradition. After receiving her BA in History from Yale University, Elisa took a break from performing music while she earned a master's degree in international development from the London School of Economics, co-founded the international technology nonprofit Geekcorps, and created an innovative policy consulting firm. Reconnecting with her first love—music—Elisa has dedicated herself to writing, recording, and performing and has created a sound featuring vocal intensity and captivating songwriting. Elisa’s music can now be heard on her debut album, Favorite, which was selected as one of the Top 50 Indie Releases of 2005 by Singer & Musician magazine. In addition to touring and songwriting, Elisa is now working on the Ordinarily Unsung project, a collection of songs about members of the fringe in American history that will be incorporated into a one-woman theatrical concert, an interactive educational workshop, and, ultimately, a musical.

• Granted the Forrest Goodenough Songwriter's Fellowship by the Writer's Colony of Dairy Hollow.
• Invited to be a resident songwriter at the Writer's Colony of Dairy Hollow, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, fall 2008.
• Commissioned by the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission to create Minnesota's Ordinarily Unsung Concert for Minnesota's 150th birthday
• Recipient of the 2007 Career Development Grant from the Lakes Region Arts Council with funding from the McKnight Foundation.
• Alternate for the 2007 Jerome Foundation Travel Grant.
• Recipient of a 2007 Hedgebrook Foundation artist residency as a songwriter
• Recipient of a 2007 Robert M. MacNamara Foundation artist residency as a songwriter
• Recipient of the 2006 Ucross Foundation artist residency as a composer
• Recipient of the 2006 Jerome Foundation Fellowship for a songwriting residency at the New York Mills Cultural Center
• Finalist in Plowshares 2005 and Solarfest 2006 songwriting competitions.
• A recipient of the ASCAPLUS award from ASCAP, four years in a row.
• The song "Butte" received an "Honor Award" in the Great American Song Contest
• Finalist in Sisters Folk Festival Songwriting Competition
• Named "Highly Commended Artist" in Windrift 2003 Songwriting Competition
• Received "Honorable Mention" in Song of the Year 2004 Songwriting Contest, 2004 SongPrize.com Songwriting Competition
• Named Finalist in Philadelphia Songwriters Project "Songs from the Road" Competition
• Selected to perform in various juried competitions and conferences including: M.E.A.N.Y. Fest and
• Inside Connection Magazine's Touring 495.

• Elisa was selected to perform her one-woman concert-play at the Minnesota Fringe Festival in Summer 2009.
• Songs from the album Favorite have been played on HBO's "The Best Sex," ABC's "All My Children," MTV's "Made" and "Sweet Sixteen," among others.
• Elisa was cast as one of three musical performers in American Folklore Theater Company's production of "And If Elected," a presidential trivia revue performed in Fall 2008.
• Favorite added to almost 200 college radio stations across the United States.
• Preeminent online indie music retailer CD Baby called Elisa's album Favorite "one of the best we've ever heard" and made it an Editor's Pick.
• Singer & Musician Magazine named Favorite a Top 50 Indie Release along with Aimee Mann and Tracy Grammer and said it "belongs on anyone's must-play list."
• Selected as one of Sam Ash's sponsored musicians.
  

Other fun facts

Elisa's song "Marrow" was played on HBO's original show "The Best Sex" to accompany a pole-dancer showing her moves. It's been called "the cleanest dirtiest song ever written."

The Dumas Brothel Museum--the inspiration for Elisa's song "Butte"--has started to advertise Elisa's music on their website. The Dumas is having financial trouble at the moment, so if you are in Montana, stop in to support them.

Member of ASCAP