She is petite, with an unforgettable voice. Her songs are a unique rendezvous of soft words set to ethereal music. While at the Italian Institute of Culture, Elisa gave the public some very emotional moments; this was clear when she sang intensely in front of an enthusiastic crowd of young people, accompanied by her guitarist, Andrea Rigonat.


In his introduction, director Renato Miracco explained that the Italian Institute of Culture isn't usually the place for this kind of concert, mentioning the fact that this contrast in locales could be very interesting. After all, this isn't the first time that the Institute has given a performance venue to musicians who succeeded in creating a memorable performance. This time, it was Elisa's turn.  With a careful blend of voice to music, Elisa sang "The Waves", "Dancing", "Rock Your Soul", "Broken", and "Rainbow' in English, followed by her Italian hit, "Luce".


Elisa is 31 years old and from the Veneto region of Italy. She was discovered by Caterina Caselli when she was still rather young. The American public is also quite familiar with her; this time she came to New York to promote her new album, "Dancing", which is available for purchase via iTunes and has already reached 75,000 downloads. This isn't a surprise for those who know her music—even on YouTube her videos have had over a million clicks.

Elisa's American debut is related to "So You Think You Can Dance", a popular reality show on the Fox network, but her relationship with the United States goes beyond that. She even taught herself English at age 14 by reading Jim Morrison's poetry.


Her English language album, "Dancing", represents her melodic and ethereal style. Thanks to her evocative voice, heavily influenced by Joni Mitchell, her songs have the ability to take the listener on a musical journey. With songs like "Stranger" and the album's opening track, "The Waves", her music is distinctly American, even though she is Italian. With few exceptions, Elisa has always composed and sung in English, taking inspiration from her idols, Eddie Vetter, Jim Morrison, and Alanis Morissette.


Elisa's North American tour will kick off on October 29 in Toronto. She will be in New York on November 5 at the Bowery Ballroom. The tour will end in Seattle on November 24.

Dancing CD - Elisa - Sugar Music 2008

Recording information: Henson Studios, Hollywood, California.

Personnel: Elisa (vocals); Corrado Rustici (guitar, keyboards, programming); Tim Pierce, Randy Kerber (guitar); Lance Morrison (bass instrument); Matt Chamberlain (drums).

For more information, log on to www.elisatoffoli.com


Tour Date               Market              Venue


Wed. Oct. 29            Toronto, ON         The Mod Club

Thurs. Oct. 30          Montreal QC         Le Savoy

Sun. Nov. 1             Allston, MA         Great Scott

Tues. Nov. 4            Vienna, VA (D.C.)   The Barns at Wolf Trap

Wed. Nov. 5             New York, NY        Bowery Ballroom

Fri. Nov. 7             Philadelphia, PA    Johnny Brenda’s

Sat. Nov. 8             Pittsburgh, PA      Club Cafe

Tues. Nov. 11           Chicago, Il         Martyrs’

Wed. Nov. 12            St. Louis, MO       Off Broadway Nightclub

Thurs. Nov. 14          Denver, CO          Solid Dove

Sat. Nov. 15            Salt Lake City, UT  Bar Deluxe

Mon. Nov 17             Solana Beach, CA    Belly Up Tavern

Wed. Nov. 19            Los Angeles, CA     The Roxy

Thurs. Nov. 20          San Francisco, CA   Café Du Nord

Sat. Nov. 22            Portland, OR        Doug Fir Lounge

Sun. Nov 23             Vancouver, BC       The Biltmore Club

Mon. Nov. 24            Seattle, WA         The Triple Door

(Translated by Stephanie Longo)