He has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Florence Symphony, Italy; Orchestra Classica do Porto, Portugal; Bay Atlantic Symphony, New Jersey; Greeley Philharmonic, Colorado; UNLV Chamber Orchestra, Nevada; and Johns Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, Maryland. In the summer of 2007, Elisi debuted as soloist/conductor, performing Mozart piano concerto K. 414, with the Green Valley Festival Chamber Orchestra. In 2009 the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra will honor Mendelssohn’s 250th anniversary with a performance of the Concerto in G Minor, featuring Elisi as a soloist.
He was featured as a recitalist in radio broadcasts, including WCLV Cleveland, UNC, KCNV Nevada Public Radio, and Radio Montebeni, Italy. In 2008, Via Classica (TIDE 96.0), a German radio station, hosted a two-and-a-half-hour program about Elisi, offering a broadcast of his latest recital in Hamburg (recorded live), as well as an interview.
Elisi has won a number of first prizes in several competitions. With his versatility he has garnered top awards at such diverse venues as the Venice Competition - which brought him a performance at the famous La Fenice theatre, in Italy - and the Oporto International Competition - which led to a broadcast for Portuguese national television.
An active chamber musician, Elisi has collaborated with many renowned artists, including principal players from the Chicago, Baltimore, and American Symphony orchestras, and was a member of the Cerberus Trio at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for several years. He has also taken part in and performed at the Taos and Ravinia Festivals. Other recognized partnerships include that with Naxos recording artist, violinist Qian Zhou, with whom he toured China.
Elisi is equally at home with the standard repertoire as well as new music, encompassing an eclectic repertoire of solo and chamber music, often including rare or less frequently performed compositions. He enjoys working with living composers and has premiered several works (some of which were dedicated to him) at debut recitals in Toulouse, France; Carnegie Recital Hall, as a recipient of the La Gesse Foundation Fellowship; as well as other U.S. venues. In 2005 Elisi played chamber music by Ukranian-born, American composer Virko Baley. In the fall of 2006, he appeared as guest artist at the 4th International Festival of Contemporary Music in Lima, Peru performing works by Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann and Peruvian composer, Celso Garrido Lecca. In 2008 he premiered a chamber work by Kye Ryung Park at N.E.O.N., and he was later invited to perform music by Wolfgang Rihm, in Germany. In 2009, Elisi will perform works by Paul Chihara, Luciano Berio, as well a premiere of a new chamber piece of Jorge Grossmann.
In Italy, the press lauded Elisi’s debut as "young in years but with a wonderfully rich musicality, a solidly grounded technique, a precise touch, and an enduring respect in his approach to the great masters." The prophetic words of this critic about Elisi's approach as a performer - a philosophy of humility and respect for the work and its composer - foresaw the development of a stylistic path that legendary pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher further nurtured.
Fleisher recognized "an awareness of those elements that distinguish the great artist from the pedestrian performer," in the young pianist and invited him to study at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University on a full scholarship, where he earned both a master’s and doctoral degrees, serving as his mentor's assistant near the end of his studies in Baltimore. The learning experience gained with renown Artur Schnabel disciple Leon Fleisher (who traced his teaching lineage to Beethoven) represented a powerful, stimulating adventure for Elisi.
Prior to coming to the U.S., Elisi studied in Italy and gathered diplomas from the Conservatory of Florence and the International Piano Academy of Imola. In Imola, he worked extensively with two Russian pianists: Alexander Goldenweiser’s disciple, Lazar Berman, as well as Boris Petrushansky, the last pupil of Heinrich Neuhaus. Elisi also worked with the exceptionally gifted German pianist Alexander Lonquich, and had the opportunity to perform in several master classes for many well-known musicians, including Murray Perahia.
Elisi is on the piano faculty at Penn State University. As a guest professor and artistic adviser, he has frequently taught at the China Academy of Arts, in Hangzhou (China). He has also formerly served on the faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Recent master classes paired with performances in the United States include University of Texas, Eastern Michigan University, Kent State University, Pittsburgh State University, St. Olaf College, University of Oregon, Lawrence University, and the Crane School of Music of New York. Internationally Elisi has given master classes and performances at the University of British Columbia, Canada; Accademia delle Marche, Italy; National Conservatory of Lima, Peru; Tainan University of Technology and Taipei National University of Arts, Taiwan. In 2007 Elisi was a featured soloist at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, performing a joint program with Leon Fleisher.
He is the founder and artistic director of the Green Valley Chamber Music Festival, an educational summer program for young pianists and string players, and he has previously directed the Piano Institute of the Las Vegas Music Festival. In addition, he is active as an adjudicator of piano competitions in Canada (Tremplin International, and Concours de Musique du Canada) and the U.S. (Iowa Piano Competition).
Enrico Elisi was born and raised in the charming city of Bologna, Italy. He has lived in the United Statesof America since 1996, and now divides his time between his home in Pennsylvania and his residence in Italy.
