Elise's Bio

Elise Letourneau is a multi-award-winning Canadian composer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose music has reached nearly every corner of the globe. Known for beautifully blurring the lines between classical, jazz, and popular music, Elise has written hundreds of pieces. In fact, her choral works have been performed on every continent except Antarctica.

As an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, Elise holds the rare distinction of winning both the Choral Canada Diane Loomer Award and the Choirs Ontario Ruth Watson Henderson Composition Competition. She was also a finalist for The American Prize in choral composition for four consecutive years. Her music is frequently performed by world-class ensembles and soloists, including the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Canada's National Youth Choir, the Toronto Children's Chorus, The Salt Lake Choral Artists, the Cantiamo Girls' Choir, The Bach Music Festival of Canada choir and orchestra, Colin Ainsworth, Leslie Fagan, Marcus Nance, and Rebecca Noelle. Her choral music is available through Cypress Choral Music, Canadian Music Centre, Long & McQuade, JW Pepper, Hal Leonard, Sheet Music Plus, and Sheet Music Direct, with additional pieces independently published via Elise Letourneau Music on her website.

Based in Ottawa, Elise divides her time between composing and arranging choral and chamber music, recording songs at her Maison Tournesol studio, producing ambient music for her imprint The ELMgrove, directing local choirs, and sharing her passion as an educator at Alcorn Music Studios, teaching piano, voice, and songwriting.

An accomplished performer in her own right, Elise has shared stages with jazz and pop greats like Brian Browne, Paula Cole, Bob Dorough, Sheila Jordan, Janet Lawson, Ann Rabson, Janis Siegel, and others, with performances taking her across Canada and northeastern USA. Elise performs as a studio vocalist with The Fieldown Singers, and the Steely Dan tribute band Glamour Profession. She is working on her seventh recorded album. She holds a B.Mus. from Berklee College of Music, an M.Ed. from Lesley College, and a recent certificate in music production from Berklee Online. Explore her music at eliseletourneau.com. 
 

Discography: 
The Fieldown Sessions - The Fieldown Singers 
The Glimmer Mass – The Fieldown Singers 
Winter 1 Collection – The Fieldown Singers 
Spirit 1 Collection – The Fieldown Singers 
The Long & Winding Road – Brian Browne & Elise Letourneau 
Requiem for Fourteen Roses – choral work – 2 CDs 
Capital Vox Sings Elise Letourneau – choral works 
Pas de deux – Elise Letourneau & Harry Pickens 
I Will Sing for You – Elise Letourneau & band 

“Elise Letourneau capitalizes on her active background in the jazz field, while also displaying considerable skill writing academically/classically oriented music. Letourneau writes with vivid imagination, confidence, and a willingness to try new things in the choral idiom.” 
– Giselle Wyers, Chair of Voice & Choral, University of Washington School of Music 

“With a distinct compositional profile, generated by a fascinating choice of texts, the choral music of Elise Letourneau is melodious, inevitably memorable, and always accessible.” 
– Judging Panel, The American Prize in Choral Composition