“Elsa has a beautiful conception of melody and music. -Chris Potter
“I would never thought that innocent face encompassed so much creativity -Hubert Laws
Elsa Nilsson music is profoundly playful and widely influenced. She believes the beauty of music is how it transcends cultural boundaries, and she accentuates this in her compositions by mixing cultural elements to create a sound that is distinctly her own. Nilsson has built a solid career and reputation upon her belief that all folk music (including jazz) has a common thread, and that by weaving those threads together, a deeper, more complete understanding among varying cultures can be reached.
Nilsson was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she started her love-affair with music at the early age of 2, singing in her father. At age five, she began playing piano. At age 6 she wrote down her first song. By the time she was accepted to Hvitfeldtska gymnasium (a classical conservatory-style program in Gothenburg) at age 15, she had been playing flute for three years, teaching herself how to improvise by playing along with Swedish Jazz records.
Aside from Nilssons work as a leader she composes for and regularly performs in a variety of projects including a duo with pianist Jon Cowherd (from the Brian Blade Fellowship) and Far Cry Flutes (with Robert Dick, Jamie Baum and Jessica Lurie). Nilsson also plays with several singer/songwriters including Jann Klose and the Wendy Hackett Band.
Aside from her work as a leader and side woman in her various projects Nilsson runs a busy Brooklyn based private music instruction studio with around 30 weekly students between the ages of 5 and 13 as well as adult flute players seeking to improve their improvisation and doublers seeking to improve their tone and articulation on flute.
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