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Elissa Goodrich

Elissa is a percussionist (vibraphone & marimba), composer and sound designer. Elissa began her training in classical percussion, but was soon drawn to improvisation and jazz as well, as a way of communicating with other musicians and performers in freer and instant forms. Jazz colleagues and artists from various fields such as pianist Clare Shannon, dramaturg Paul Monaghan and leading international artists from various artforms such as Pina Bausch continue to provide a lasting inspiration in Elissa’s own explorations in improvised music.

Elissa has performed her music in festivals including Melbourne International Arts Festival and Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival. She has recorded and performed as a sessional musician in numerous contemporary classical, jazz and pop music outfits and has co-led the world-jazz Shannon-Goodrich Ensemble with pianist Clare Shannon with 2 CD releases and 2 nominations for 2009 Australian Jazz Work of the Year from their Worlds Within Worlds CD, www.cdbaby.com/shannongoodrich2.

Her sound-art works have featured internationally in Centro de Cultura Contemporanea Barcelona (Spain), Soundwaves and Lightworks festivals (UK), Museum of Otago (NZ) and Tempo Reale (Italy). Elissa also works in independent theatre, dance and audio-visual productions with long-term Australian collaborators including theatre director Bagryana Popov, contemporary dancer Sara Black, film-maker Michael Carmody and visual artist Gabby O’Connor.

Elissa was composing & recording artist for See How the Leaf People Run an ABC Radio National production, musician & sound designer for theatre work Sarajevo Suite. This year she releases 2 new jazz projects the quartet states of Play (spanish infused contemporay jazz) and a new music project, Conversations, featuring solo marimba and duets with voice, bass, and drums.

Awards

2013 City of Melbourne Grant for Conversations' concerts at Chapter Hopuse 2010 - co-winner of the Green Room Award - production for dir. Bagryana Popov’s Progress and Melancholy 2009/2010 - Elissa State Library of Victoria Creative Fellowship recipient for her Child’s Play project. 2009 - Nomination for APRA’s 2009 Australian Jazz Work of the Year for Beyond Both Worlds from Shannon-Goodrich Ensemble’s Worlds Within Worlds CD. 2008 - Australia Council for the Arts – Music grant for Shannon-Goodrich Ensemble’s States of Play 2007 - Arts Victoria Music for the Future – grant for Shannon-Goodrich Ensemble’s Worlds Within Worlds 2007 - Sidney Myer Arts and Humanities grant for Shannon-Goodrich Ensemble’s Worlds Within Worlds 2006 – Australia Council for the Arts – Interarts grant – for Elissa Goodrich’s residency at Performance Space/ QUT and the Museum of Otago installation.


Tags

'The Gorgeous album "States of Play". Perfect for after dark" Julia Lister - ABC Classic FM for States of Play CD, Newmarket Music/ CD Baby (2013)

‘Beautiful music…their music draws you in closer and closer’ Julia Lester, ABC Classic Drive, 17.09.2009, for Shannon-Goodrich Ensemble’s Worlds Within Worlds CD, Newmarket Music/ CD Baby (2008)

‘Exquisite calm, torn by spiritual longing. … an ear-opening testimony ...in an exciting new format.’ John Jenkins, “From Page to Stage” The Australian, Arts, 17.10.2007 (Elissa’s Worlds Within Worlds - song cycle for Voiceprints, performance by Elissa Goodrich and Ria Soemardjo - Melbourne International Arts Festival) ‘The spine-tingling music, directed and composed by Elissa Goodrich, was a highlight of the play.’ Emma Kathryn, Theatre People Review (March 2011) for Cafe Scheherazade

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

States of Play

Newmarket Music
2013

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