Faculty

Profile

Flute Player, Composer and Educator Elsa Nilsson was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. She can often be found playing at The 55 Bar, Bar Bayeux and other New York Jazz venues as well as touring the US and Europe with her bands Esthesis Quartet (a collaborative project with pianist Dawn Clement, bassist Emma Dayhuff and drummer Tina Raymond), Band Of Pulses exploring the musicality of speech (with pianist Santiago Leibson, bassist Marty Kenney and drummer Rodrigo Recabarren) and Rustlings (with guitarist Sebastian Noelle, bassist Matt Aronoff and drummer Mark Ferber). Her most recent releases are “Atlas Of Sound - Coast Redwoods” (out April 22nd, 2022, on Ears and Eyes Records) with Jon Cowherd and Chris Morrissey, “Esthesis Quartet” (out May 27th, 2022, on Orenda Records). Nilsson approaches music with an attitude of inclusiveness. She believes there is a space to be found in music that gives us the freedom to be exactly who we are. This leads her to make some unconventional choices as an improviser and composer where the lines between styles become blurred and rules get bent in order to serve the ultimate goal of sincere communication. Nilsson draws inspiration from every aspect of life and music that moves her, combining them through the lens of Jazz to create a deeply personal expression that she hopes is universally relatable. Nilsson is adjunct faculty at The New School College for Performing Arts where she teaches Rhythmic Analysis, Socially Engaged Artistry and private lessons in improvisation and composition. She holds a BM from Cornish College of the Arts and an MM from New York University, both in Jazz performance. She is the winner of the 2018 National Flute Associations Jazz Flute competition and her albums have received rave reviews in Downbeat, Jazziz, All About Jazz and more.