Violinist Elise Meichels Parker has an active freelance career as a chamber musician, recording artist, orchestral performer, and studio teacher. The Star Tribune has described her playing as “soulful,” while the Pioneer Press wrote “Elise Parker wrings pure beauty from her violin.”
Locally, Elise has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Guthrie Theater, STRINGenius, Children’s Theatre Company, VocalEssence, LOFT Recital, Ladyslipper Ensemble, American Composers Forum, and An Opera Theatre, amongst others. She serves as assistant principal of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, performs in many of Fever’s Candlelight Concerts, and is a member of Fíora Ensemble, a Twin Cities-based chamber music collective which expands and contracts depending on repertoire. Nationally, she has performed with ensembles including the Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, The Knights (NYC), San Antonio Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Opera, Madison Ballet, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, South Dakota Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, KUHF Houston Public Radio Chamber Players, 21/20 Contemporary Ensemble at the Shepherd School of Music, and the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.
Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Broadway show performances include Ain’t Too Proud, Parade, My Fair Lady, Hello Dolly!, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The King and I, and several tours of The Lion King. She’s also performed with Stevie Wonder, The Who, The Eagles, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Idina Menzel, Mannheim Steamroller, Evanescence, Celtic Thunder, Josh Groban, Amy Grant and Weird Al Yankovich.
Elise underwent several years of training in string pedagogy throughout the country. Consequently, she differentiates her instructions to young musicians, in both private and group settings, so they may confidently develop skills to their full potential. Since 2010, Elise has been a teacher for the Augsburg Suzuki Talent Education Program, a nationally and internationally recognized program. She also visits dozens of Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools giving classroom demonstrations, all-school orchestral performances, and conducting high school orchestra sectionals. She has been adjunct faculty at Augsburg University since 2019.
Elise received a Bachelor’s degree in music performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a School of Music scholarship. From there she attended Rice University, earning a Master’s degree and was the recipient of the Distinguished Fellowship of Violin Award. She has studied privately with Kathleen Winkler, Vartan Manoogian, Maseo Kawasaki, Naoko Tanaka, and Nancy Lokken.
Elise plays on a Gasparo da Salò composite violin, whose back and ribs were made in 1580 in Brescia, Italy. Da Salò is credited as the co-inventor of the modern violin.