Elisa Thorn (pronounced eh-lee-sah) is a versatile harpist, vocalist and composer known for her distinctive and contemporary approach to the harp. Her music weaves together elements of folk, indie, jazz, experimental, and ambient music, and she aims to create music that balances the abstract and accessible, and sensitivity with boldness.
An avid collaborator, she has recently shifted her focus to her solo project, which will be releasing a new album, xiik, in fall 2025. As introspective as it can be energizing, she laughingly classifies it as “experimental indie for the bathtub.” Reflecting on her trajectory from classical to contemporary music, she says “as much as I roll my eyes at the angelic/mythical/feminine reputation the harp has, generosity is important to me in music making. My hope is for the listener to feel held in some way- which means sometimes it does sound magical and dreamy. That being said, I think the harp can be a total boss, and that’s why I love it.”
She is also the leader of many projects including Gentle Party, HUE, and The Giving Shapes, and has contributed to recordings and performances with artists such as Haley Blais, Ora Cogan, Tonye Aganaba, Mother Mother, Loscil, Ora Cogan, Wallgrin, Lief Hall and Mauvey. Her music has received airplay on stations such as CBC and KEXP , and she has performed at festivals such as Jazzotpad (Poland, 2023), Women from Space (Toronto), Campbell Bay Music Festival (Mayne Island), TONE Fest (Toronto), Constellation Festival (Squamish), POP Montreal, Suoni Per Il Poppolo (Montreal), Wonderment (Victoria) and Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Driven by her community-oriented values, “I’ve ventured into the realms of curation and presentation, focusing on fostering accessibility to challenging and abstract art through deliberate methods of presentation,” says Thorn. She currently serves as an associate for the nonprofit organization Vancouver Improvised Music Society and has curated an outdoor house concert series, Woodland Patio Series, since 2014.
