Elissa Cassini, Violin
Franco-American violinist Elissa Cassini captivates audiences worldwide through her charismatic presence, expressive tone, and engaging interpretation. Hailed as “truly communicative” (The New York Times) and as“an impeccable and powerful soloist” (Neue Musikzeitung), her innovative programming has been praised by Strad Magazine as “an imaginatively conceived recital.”
Elissa is the creator of Résonances, an interdisciplinary solo performance which correlates works by J.S. Bach, Kaija Saariaho, and Missy Mazzoli. Combining electronics, improvisation, visual projections, and staging, Elissa unfolds a compelling musical narrative, tracing a soul’s transformative journey from embodiment to transcendence of our earthly realm. Résonances was premiered in March 2023 in France, at the historical Collégiale Saint-Martin in Angers, and performed subsequently at the Lieu Unique in Nantes.
Elissa’s passion for new music was sparked during her masters’ studies at the Juilliard School. Pierre Boulez heard her perform his Anthèmes and invited her as concertmaster of his orchestra at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. She has since collaborated with internationally acclaimed composers like Kaija Saariaho, Georg Friedrich Haas, Beat Furrer, and Tristan Murail, among many more.
Elissa’s latest premiere, On the Brink, a multimedia concerto written by Theodore Wiprud, with visuals by Camilla Tassi, on the theme of climate change, was given with the South Dakota Symphony in January 2025. As dedicatee, she also helped commission Conditions de Lumière, a spectralist concerto by Jérôme Combier, premiered with the Argento Ensemble in New York, the Cairn Ensemble in Paris, and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne in Montreal, in 2017.
Elissa’s further concerto appearances include Philip Glass’ American Four Seasons with the Orchestre National de Bretagne, Philippe Leroux’s d’Aller with the Camerata Aberta in São Paulo, Anders Eliasson’s Concerto for Violin and Strings with the Arcos Chamber Orchestra at the Berlin Konzerthaus, and Nicolas Bacri’s Winter’s Night with the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Massy.
Elissa is also a passionate chamber musician. She has enjoyed numerous collaborations with distinguished colleagues at prestigious festivals and concert series in both North and South America and Europe. After founding Duplexity Concerts in New York in 2016 to promote innovative collaborations, she currently travels between her beloved New York City and her home in France’s Loire Valley, where the flowing river offers continuous inspiration.
www.elissacassini.com / Insta: @elissacassini / YouTube: @ElissaCassini
Facebook: ElissaCassiniViolin / www.duplexityconcerts.com
