Teaching

Alongside his active performance career, Enrico Elisi is a dedicated teacher who has worked tirelessly to pass on his knowledge and craftsmanship to future generations of young pianists. He has taught at higher education institutions since 2004. In the summer of 2023, he assumed the Harold D. and Imogene Herndon Professorship of Music in Piano at Texas Christian University.

Education

Growing up in Italy, a country with rich musical traditions, he absorbed influences from various schools—broadly Italian, Russian, and German. Initially, he studied with Giuseppe Fricelli (1948-2023) at the Conservatories of Bologna and Florence.

During his formative years, he also benefited from the international environment of the medieval city of Imola, where he began attending early masterclasses that marked the start of the renowned Imola International Piano Academy Incontri col Maestro. This unique institution, presided over by Vladimir Ashkenazy, established a broad international community in the Rocca Sforzesca, a symbolic fortress dating back to the second half of the 13th century.

It is through the support of that organization that he was fortunate to work with several diverse pedagogues and active concert pianists such as Lazar Berman (1930-2005), Alexander Lonquich (1960), Franco Scala (1938), Boris Petrushansky (1949), and directly experience very different schools from pupils of Goldenweiser, Neuhaus, Zecchi, and Badura-Skoda.

Later, he was also deeply exposed to the Arthur Schnabel school in the USA, having spent six years working with and serving as an assistant to the American icon Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory. (See lineage on this website for more details.)

Through the Academy, he also had the opportunity to attend masterclasses of many great musicians (some of whom he also performed for), including Maurizio Pollini, Jörg Demus, Aldo Ciccolini, Joaquín Achúcarro, Sergio Fiorentino, Andrzej Jasiński, Glen Wilson, Emilia Fadini, Louis Lortie, Peter Lang, György Sándor, Jeffrey Swann, Eugen Indjic, and conductors Riccardo Chailly and Gustav Kuhn, among others.

Higher Education Institutions: Canada, USA, Korea, China

Before moving to Texas to assume the Harold D. and Imogene Herndon Professorship of Music in Piano at Texas Christian University, Enrico Elisi lived in Canada for seven years. He taught as an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. U of T recognized him with the Faculty of Music Teaching Award for his excellence, commitment, and innovation in teaching.

Previously, he lived in the USA for twenty years and served as an Associate Professor at the Eastman School for five years (2011-2016). He also held an Assistant Professor position at Penn State University, where he taught for three years (2008-2011), and was an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for four years (2004-2008). Additionally, he held visiting professorships at Hanyang University and Ewha Womans University in Korea, and at Zhejiang Art School in Hangzhou, China.

UofT_Piano_Studio_2017
Students learning Italian gestures during a relaxing moment after a class

Auditions at Texas Christian University


For those interested in joining Professor Elisi’s studio at Texas Christian University (TCU), students can apply to the university as early as September 1 of the year before admission. For undergraduates, applications are generally due by the Early Action Deadline of November 1 to receive a nonbinding admission decision by January 1.

For more details, visit the TCU Office of Financial Aid.

Audition requirements: undergraduates (BM), graduates (MM and DMA), and Artist Diploma (AD)

A particular highlight for young pianists is the Nordan Young Artist Award, an exclusive scholarship offered to talented first-year music students. Each year, two winners are selected to receive a four-year, full-tuition scholarship. Students who do not get selected for the Nordan auditions are encouraged to audition for other music scholarships at TCU. In addition to the Nordan scholarship, the School of Music offers additional full scholarships. For more details, visit the TCU Office of Financial Aid.

Calendar

TCU Academic Calendar 2023-24

Semester Event Date
Fall Semester 2023 First Classes Meet Monday, August 21, 2023
Fall Semester 2023 Labor Day Holiday Monday, September 4, 2023
Fall Semester 2023 Fall Break Classes Recess: Wednesday, October 4, 2023 (10:00pm)
Classes Resume: Monday, October 9, 2023 (8:00am)
Fall Semester 2023 Thanksgiving Classes Recess: Friday, November 17, 2023 (10:00pm)
Classes Resume: Monday, November 27, 2023 (8:00am)
Fall Semester 2023 Last Day of Class Friday, December 8, 2023
Spring Semester 2024 First Classes Meet Monday, January 15, 2024
Spring Semester 2024 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Monday, January 16, 2024
Spring Semester 2024 Spring Refresh Classes Recess: Friday, March 8, 2024 (10:00pm)
Classes Resume: Monday, March 18, 2024 (8:00am)
Spring Semester 2024 Good Friday Holiday Classes Recess: Thursday, March 28, 2024 (10:00pm)
Classes Resume: Monday, April 1, 2024 (8:00am)
Spring Semester 2024 Last Day of Class Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Spring Semester 2024 Study Days Thursday-Friday, May 2-3, 2024
Spring Semester 2024 Final Examinations Monday-Friday, May 6-10, 2024

Former Students

Some of Dr. Elisi’s current and former students are already established and hold (or still hold) teaching positions in the USA (at UMKC Conservatory, Ithaca College, University of Mary Washington, the State University of New York Geneseo, Alfred University, the University of the Incarnate Word, Las Vegas Piano Music School, etc.); in China (at Guangzhou University, the Central Conservatory of Music Piano Academy in Gulangyu, Xiamen); and in Korea (at Deokwon Art High School, Baekseok Arts University, Shilla University, Kyungnam Arts High School, Se-Jong Arts High School, Incheon Arts High School, and Kyewon Arts Middle School).

Astral Artists have professionally managed other former students, won prizes in competitions like Cleveland International, Paderewski, Washington, Louisiana, San Antonio, and New Orleans International, among others; performed with orchestras such as the Cleveland Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and Dallas Chamber Symphony; debuted in recitals from New York to Caracas, Paris, and Seoul; received fellowships and scholarships at summer programs; and been accepted into Artist Diploma programs (including Rice University), MM, and DMA programs at prestigious institutions in the US and abroad.

During a master class at Cincinnati‘s Art of the Piano Festival

About Teaching Younger Pianists


While Enrico Elisi mainly works with advanced university students, each year he also collaborates with a few select younger pianists (pre-college age) to emphasize the fundamentals of piano technique.

Technique


He believes that developing one’s piano technique and a “pianistic gesture” for shaping musical ideas should never be separated from the sound produced (tone quality). He continuously seeks to establish an effective connection between inner musical thought and the outer result by training the ear to be highly critical. His main goal in teaching is to help students give voice to a musical idea that is personal, logical, and expressive.

Some key points he emphasizes are: (1) deepening the ability to listen to oneself, (2) developing a cantabile tone quality, (3) mastering legato, and (4) exploring a wide range of approaches to finger strokes.

Exercises


Enrico Elisi also creates exercises tailored to any difficulties students encounter with standard repertoire passages. He designs these exercises to address and resolve issues during lessons.

He begins with scales, which must be played at every lesson, listened to with careful attention, and repeated until the execution achieves legato, speed, uniformity of sound, and a cantabile tone quality.

Repertoire

Another fundamental aspect of Elisi’s method is selecting an appropriate student repertoire. This is vital because a thoughtfully chosen repertoire guides a young musician in developing taste and skills. Initially, Enrico focuses on getting to know a student well. Then he assigns pieces that push the student beyond their comfort zone. In doing so, he ensures that no piece is overly difficult, as the goal is to maintain interest, passion, and motivation to work at a high level. By reviewing a student’s repertoire list, Enrico Elisi also identifies gaps. The process of selecting new repertoire is closely monitored throughout.


He typically recommends studying Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Clementi, and Beethoven—so that, with patience, the student builds a well-rounded set of piano skills. Bach’s detailed instrumental polyphony is a focus for improving clarity and voice differentiation, requiring meticulous attention to detail and precision, starting with simpler pieces; Mozart helps develop cantabile playing and finger agility in passagework and ornaments; Beethoven introduces more complex structures to cultivate advanced and varied piano skills; and this approach extends across the entire canon of piano repertoire, emphasizing that no area is neglected. Instead, even the pieces a student finds most difficult are thoroughly worked on, ensuring all aspects of piano technique and music are explored. This comprehensive approach aims to identify the repertoire best suited to each pianist, shaping a precise, personalized learning journey.

How to Practice

One strong point in Elisi’s teaching is helping his students identify the problems affecting their performance and other recurring issues. After the result is more precise and the new aims are more focused, he trains students to develop and insists upon various methods to overcome specific difficulties. Practicing is never dull! On the contrary, it embodies the joy of learning as it is learning itself. The time spent working through a difficulty is transformed into an exploration of possibilities and becomes an opportunity rather than a challenge. The act of practicing is an art; in the beginning, it must be taught and guided rather than left to the students.

Enrico Elisi guides students to tackle their playing hands together early in the practice sessions and insists that students learn to inflect their melodic playing. Inflection helps clarify shapes and must be done immediately as students learn the notes of a new piece. As they learn the pitches, they learn what they mean so that the initial conceptualization of the music is assimilated with inflection. He also encourages students to practice thoughtfully, as evidenced by silent pauses while looking at the music, singing or humming, making notes on the page, or expressing verbal “ah-ha”s. Students learn that errors must be prevented by stopping in advance to anticipate mistakes. These issues must be addressed immediately as they arise so that the precise location and sources of each error are accurately identified, rehearsed, and corrected. Also, he teaches how to change the tempo while learning a new repertoire, so each tempo of individual performance trials is varied systematically; logically understandable changes in tempo take place between trials (e.g., slow things down to get tricky sections correct). Elisi also patiently explores target passages until the error is corrected and the passage is stabilized (as evidenced by the error’s absence in subsequent repetitions).

Life and Music

Rigorous training in music and piano, in Enrico Elisi’s ideology, is inextricably linked with how a young artist lives their life. Students are taught to prioritize their work; they are required to organize their studies well; they must participate in the activities of their fellow music students; they have to listen to concerts and recordings; and ultimately, they must take on a role in the teaching of younger pupils, gradually developing from students into teachers.

Quick Facts: Education

  • Peabody Institute of Music of the Johns Hopkins University (with Leon Fleisher)
  • International Piano Academy Incontri col Maestro, Imola, Italy (with Lazar Berman, Alexander Lonquich, Boris Petrushansky, Franco Scala)
  • L. Cherubini State Conservatory of Music, Florence, Italy (with Giuseppe Fricelli)
  • G. B. Martini State Conservatory of Music, Bologna, Italy (with Giuseppe Fricelli)

Quick Facts: Teaching Experience

  • Texas Christian University, USA (Associate Professor of Piano in the Harold D. and Imogen Herndon Professorship in Music)
  • Eastman School of Music, USA (Associate Professor of Piano)
  • The Pennsylvania State University, USA (Assistant Professor of Piano)
  • The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA (Assistant Professor of Piano)
  • China Academy of the Arts (Yi Shu Xue Xiao), China (Visiting Guest Professor of Piano)
  • Hanyang University, South Korea (Visiting Assistant Professor)
  • Ewha Womans University, South Korea (Leading Visiting Scholar)
  • San Francisco Conservatory, USA (Substitute Collegiate Faculty)
During a master class at CCM Art of the Piano
During a master class at CCM, Art of the Piano

Abridged List of Students’ Achievements 

During Dr. Elisi’s first two years at the University of Toronto

Rudin Lengo, DMA

  • Competition: Winner of the 2017 DMA Competition at the University of Toronto
  • Performance: DMA recital in Walter Hall, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Augustin Simoni in Concert – Guest Artist
  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto
  • Performance: PianoFest, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Thursdays at Noon – Walter Hall Recital, the University of Toronto (as a prizewinner of the DMA competition)
  • Performance: Music at St. Andrew’s – Noon Recital Series
  • Scholarship: John and Barbara Vivash Scholarship in Piano Performance
  • Scholarship: Simmonds Graduate Fellowship
  • Adjudication: London Kiwanis Festival
  • Adjudication: 3C Rotary Calgary Concerto Competition (alongside Andrew Dawes and Victor Sawa)

Coral Solomon, DMA

  • Performance: Solo piano and viola sonatas with Janice LaMarre at Grace United Church, Barrie
  • Performance: a two-piano recital at Beth Tikvah Synagogue, Toronto
  • Performance: a two-piano recital at Fairview Library Theatre, Toronto
  • Performance: soloist in Chopin Concerto No. 1 with CAST Philharmonic at Tyndale University College, Toronto
  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto

Nancy Li, MMus

  • Honors: Executive Leader, Music Graduate Students’ Association, Canadian Union of Public Employees
  • Honors: Representative, University of Toronto’s Stewards Council, Faculty of Music
  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Instrumentalis, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Second-Year Masters Recital, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Piano and Organ Collaborative Concert, Hope United Church, Toronto
  • Chamber Music Performance: Verity with the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto and the WMCT Foundation’s An Evening of Music, Toronto, Canada

Eugene Chan, BMus

  • Programs: admitted to the Master’s Degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University

Soo Jin Chung, BMus

  • Programs: admitted to the Master’s Degree at Rice University on a full scholarship

Miguel Esteban, BMus

  • Grants: FMUA Individual Grant for Professional Development
  • Scholarship: Mary-Margaret Webb Piano Performance Award
  • Scholarship: Friends of the Library Scholarship
  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto
  • Performance: PianoFest, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Composition Concert at UofT (Geiger Torel)
  • Summer Program: selected to take part in AmiCaFest, Italy (two performances)

Stephen Shi, BMus

  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto

Artun Miskciyan, BMus

  • Performance: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with the UTSO, Hart House, Toronto (Sistema Toronto, Fundraising Concert)
  • Competition: AmiCaFest Concerto Competition, Italy (2nd Prize Winner)
  • Performance: Mozart Piano Concerto K.414 performance with Camerata Belliniana, Valle dei Margi, Italy
  • Summer Program: selected to take part in AmiCaFest, Italy
  • Performance: AmiCaFest, Chiesa di San Leonardo, Grammichele, Italy
  • Scholarship: Deila Moog and W. O. Forsyth Graduating Scholarships
  • Performance: piano four-hands with Aisa Sayama at the Showcase concert of Richview United Church
  • Performance: Armenian Prelacy of Canada – Gala Concert, Toronto
  • Celebrating Canada 150, St. Vartan Armenian Church of Mississauga
  • Performance: PianoFest, University of Toronto
  • Canada’s 150th Anniversary Concert, Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Toronto

Elaine Yang, BMus

  • Competition: First prize winner of the Asian International Youth Piano Contest, Zhuhai, China
  • Performance: solo recital in Shantou, China
  • Summer Program: selected to take part in AmiCaFest, Italy
  • Performance: AmiCaFest, Chiesa di San Leonardo, Grammichele, Italy
  • Performance: Tenuta San Michele, Santa Venerina, Italy
  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto
  • Performance: PianoFest, University of Toronto
  • Scholarship: Alice & Armen Matheson Entrance Scholarship
  • Summer Program: selected to take part in Todi Music Masters, Italy
  • Performance: solo repertoire at Vignola Palace, Todi, Italy
  • Performance with orchestra: Beethoven Concerto No. 3 with Napolinova Youth Orchestra at Vignola Palace, Todi, Italy

Joshua Su, BMus

  • Summer Program: selected to take part in Todi Music Masters, Italy
  • Performance: solo repertoire at Vignola Palace, Todi, Italy
  • Performance with orchestra: Chopin Concerto No. 2 with Napolinova Youth Orchestra at Vignola Palace, Todi, Italy
  • Grants: FMUA Individual Grant for Professional Development
  • Summer Program: selected to take part in AmiCaFest, Italy
  • Performance: AmiCaFest, Chiesa di San Leonardo, Grammichele, Italy
  • Performance: Tenuta San Michele, Santa Venerina, Italy
  • Performance: TILT Composers Collective Presents – Spring Concert
  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto
  • Performance: PianoFest, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Hazelton Place Retirement Residence
  • Scholarship: Alice & Armen Matheson Entrance Scholarship

Carina Shum, BMus

  • Associate Diploma (ARCT) – November 26, 2017 (Koerner Hall)
  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Musical Minds Community Outreach Recital (Hart House)

Shelley Shao, BMus

  • Competition: First Prize at the 2018 Canada International Music Competition, organized by CGCTV (Canadian Global Chinese Television), MOMA (The Multicultural Organization of Music and Arts Education), LEGAC (Life Education and Growth Association of Canada)
  • Summer Program: selected to take part in Todi Music Masters, Italy
  • Performance: solo repertoire at Vignola Palace, Todi, Italy
  • Performance with orchestra: Mozart Concerto K. 414 with Napolinova Youth Orchestra at Vignola Palace, Todi, Italy
  • Summer Program: selected to take part in the Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Italy
  • Performance: solo repertoire at the Church of San Domenico, Maiori, Italy
  • Performance: PianoFest, University of Toronto
  • Performance: Nordic Masters of the Romantic Era: Grieg & Sinding, University of Toronto
  • Performance: “Dream Bloom,” lecture-recital at Lucheng Cultural Centre’s Music Hall, Wenzhou, China
  • Performance: 2017 Canada International Music Competition Winner’s Gala Concert

Student Accomplishments 2011–2016 (Eastman School of Music)

  • DMA student earned the Garth Newel Music Center Young Artists Summer Chamber Music Fellowship
  • DMA student was a soloist with Ossia New Music Ensemble
  • DMA student was a semi-finalist in the Wideman International Piano Competition
  • DMA student became an accompanist/piano instructor for Meritas Music Festival
  • DMA student won second prize at the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, Collegiate/Professional
  • DMA student won first prize at the Chicago Musicians Club of Women Scholarship Competition
  • DMA student won the Union League Civic & Arts Foundation Classical Music Scholarship Competition
  • MM student won second prize at the Louisiana International Competition
  • MM students won first and third prizes in the Dallas International Competition
  • MM student performed a concerto as a soloist in the Dallas City Performance Hall with the Dallas Chamber Symphony
  • MM students won first and second prizes at the American Protégé Piano Competition and performed at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall
  • Three MM students were awarded a full scholarship to the Cincinnati Conservatory (doctoral studies) respectively; a full tuition with a stipend at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a full tuition with a teaching assistantship at Southern Methodist University
  • MM student performed with the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra in San Marcos, Texas
  • MM student won first prize at the 5th Texas State International Piano Festival Concerto Competition and performed a concerto at the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre with the Round Rock Symphony
  • MM student performed in Washington and Louisiana, USA, as well as Toronto, Canada
  • MM student featured in a solo recital in the Rising Stars Series at the 5th Texas State International Piano Festival, San Marcos, TX
  • MM students were accepted into the doctoral program at Penn State University with full scholarships
  • MM student was selected for the prestigious, scholarship-financed Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Canada
  • MM student won second prize at the New York State Chapter of MTNA
  • Five MM students performed at the Summit Piano Series in Rochester, NY
  • MM student gave a solo Recital at the George Eastman House
  • MM student won first prize (in piano) at the 32nd Annual Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition (Eastman School of Music)
  • MM student presented theory research at the Yale Graduate Music Symposium (March 2012)
  • MM student presented theory research at the Music Theory Southeast Annual Conference in Atlanta (March 2012); received the Best Student Paper Award and, as a result, was on the Program Committee for the following year’s conference
  • MM student was chosen as a Marshal for the graduating Master’s students at Eastman’s May 2012 Commencement Ceremony
  • MM student won the second prize at the Bauru-Atlanta Competition, Atlanta, GA, US
  • MM student performed at the President’s House at the University of Rochester
  • MM student performed in Boston, MA, San Diego, CA, and Philadelphia, PA
  • MM student performed the Bach Triple Concerto in South Carolina
  • MM student performed recitals in Caracas, Venezuela
  • Two MM students were accepted into the tuition-free inaugural Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, Tampa, FL.
  • MM student gave chamber and solo performances at Cornell University, Ithaca, Binghamton, Syracuse, and Buffalo, NY.
  • BM student qualified for the Dean’s List.
  • BM student was selected as a semi-finalist at the Emilio del Rosario International Piano Competition (streamed live performance from Chicago)
  • BM student offered a piano recital at the Toronto University Network’s “Music for the Heart and Soul” series (DeGasperis Conservatory, Toronto)
  • BM student accompanied Eastman-University of Rochester Women’s Chorus in concerts at Lutheran Reformation Church, Pittsford First Presbyterian Church, “Choral Extravaganza.”
  • BM student was a scholarship participant at the Orford Summer Festival 2013 (selected to perform in master classes of John Perry and James Parker, plus a performance in the Young Artists Recitals series at Lefebvre Hall at Centre D’arts Orford, Canada)
  • BM student was the summer Interim Music Director at Centennial-Japanese United Church and Oriole York Mills United Church (Toronto)
  • BM student was the Founder and President of the Eastman Chinese Cultural Association: Organized Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival events for the entire school (Eastman, Rochester)
  • BM student performed a recital in Puerto Rico.
  • BM student performed three non-degree recitals (including Mozart Concerto, K. 491, with an orchestra formed by Eastman students)
  • BM student was an instructor, a counselor, and a translator (Chinese-English) for the New York Summer Music Festival, Oneonta, N.Y.
  • BM student was selected for an internship at Liaoning TV Station in Shenyang, China.
  • BM student performed in Vancouver, Canada.
  • BM student was admitted to the MM program at Indiana University (top list, with a generous package of $17,000), Peabody ($20,000), and Eastman ($9,000), but ultimately selected the Juilliard School.
  • BM was accepted into the MM program at New England Conservatory with a 30,000 US dollar scholarship.

Student Accomplishments 2008–2011 (Pennsylvania State University)

  • DMA student performed a chamber music recital at the Cité internationale Universitaire and the Chopin Conservatoire, Paris, France
  • Two DMA students won first and second prizes in the Pennsylvania Music Teacher Association Competition
  • Two additional DMA students won first and second (alternate) prizes at the Pennsylvania Music Teacher Association Competition
  • Four DMA, one Ph. D, three MM, and one BM students were selected to take part in notable masterclasses by guest musicians at Penn State University
  • Several BM and DMA students were selected for an appearance at the Jury Honors performances
  • Two MM students performed for the School of Music’s Notable Public Events
  • Six BM students were selected for an appearance at the Jury Honors Performances
  • BM student was selected for the Jury Recognition Recital