ELSA

ABOUT
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Courage, fear, longing, and chaos- ELSA's music flows from raw wildness to boundless tenderness. It’s music you want to immerse yourself in, feeling held, comforted, and embraced—as if underwater, for just a few breaths.
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ELSA is a four-piece band led by singer-songwriter Elsa Steixner. Their second album, JUMP!, tells its story in subtle nuances and with great emotion. These are songs that move between catchiness and mystery, between intuition and musical finesse. Though all four musicians share a solid jazz foundation from their studies (Academy of the Arts, NL), their music defies categorization, moving freely beyond genre lines. Their sound moves confidently between art pop, folk, blues, and improvisational openness. - A sound language that remains emotionally accessible without being predictable. The band has won several awards, including the Start Scholarship from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Music, the Audience Award at the Avignon Jazz Festival, and the Sparda Jazz Award, and has had an international presence since its inception. With JUMP!, the band released their second album in 2025, with which they have been touring Europe ever since with concert appearances at renowned venues such as Porgy & Bess, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Wiener Festwochen, and recordings at Abbey Road Studios in London.
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vox: Elsa Steixner
keys: Julian Bazzanella
bass: Jakob Lang
drums: Daniel Louis
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"Her striking voice imprints itself on your ears from the very first encounter with her songs. She creates an immediate sense of trust – even hypnosis – so that one can’t help but listen to her stories."
– Samir Köck, Die Presse
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"ELSA easily takes you by the hand through a multitude of emotions, from sorrow to exuberant joy, spanning a spectrum from introspection to wandering curiosity.”
– Michiel Braam (Pianist & Composer, Head of ArtEZ Conservatory Arnhem)
GRANTS // AWARDS
2025 // Audience Award, Jazz Festival Avignon (FR)
2025 // Funding Catalog, City of Gütersloh (DE)
2024 // Performance Grant from the Werner Richard – Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation (DE)
2024 // Winner, Summerjazz Pinneberg (DE)
2024 // Award Winner, Sparda Jazz Award (DE)
2024 // Start Grant for Music and Performing Arts from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture (BMKOES) (AT)
2023 // Nomination, Heij Konijn Award for Dutch Newcomers (NL)
2022 // 1st Prize, Viersen Jazzband Challenge (DE)

© 2024 ELSA STEIXNER | elsa.steixner@gmx.at



