Event Information:

• biography

  A large part of the artistic persona of Elisabeth Cutler is encompassed in these two quotes, which contain seemingly irresolvable contradictions. The first is the voice of an intuitive and instinctive woman, proud of her freedom and aware of her identity; the next is full of longing and a need to measure up, thus consumed by an unquenchable search for beauty, embodied in the magic combination of love and music.

  Of course, these contrasts do not come as a surprise from a woman whom critics describe as a dynamic solo performer who commands the stage with a rare combination of fire, intimacy, dash, and above all, honesty. Beyond that, it is Elisabeth’s presence, strength, vulnerability and capacity to communicate, which has lead to her to grace stages as diverse and prestigious as The Bitter End and CBGB's Gallery of New York, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the Kerrville Folk Festival.

  For Elisabeth Cutler, an artistically refined and multi-dimensional American singer/songwriter, music and life are in fact the same thing: “Music has always been a safe place to express myself and my emotions,” explains Elisabeth. “My songs are inspired by personal relationships: I write what I know, therefore it is very intimate. I look for answers through questions and peace in the fallout of war.”

  The answers that Elisabeth sought were cultivated during her rebellious teenage years during the sixties and seventies. It was a time when American youth experienced dramatic sexual and cultural revolutions, plus social consciousness brought on by the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. They were also the years of the British Invasion, when the Beatles and Stones contrasted with the Folk Revival and Bob Dylan.

  At fifteen, Elisabeth entered the prestigious Berkelee School of Music in Boston and her destiny took shape. “I studied jazz guitar and learned to read music and above all, I understood, that what I had been experimenting with on my guitar at home, was worthwhile and important.”

  Elisabeth’s training and career continued but it would not be until her move to Nashville in 1988, when she would experience her most profound artistic turning point. “There I was in the Capital of Country Music, knowing nothing about the music or city except that Nashville had a deep musical tradition, founded on songs and songwriters, and I was then determined to make my way there. Living, learning and listening in Nashville taught me how to recognize and write a good song, and that it is the song, not the singer, that makes the difference.”

  Between 1993 and 1999 Cutler released three albums of her original acoustic-pop, Elisabeth Cutler, Bury the Ghost and Tower of Silence, into America’s Independent music scene, which awarded her with enthusiastic reviews as well as professional recognition in the competitive art scene of 'Nash-Vegas'.

  Although greatly motivated by the challenges, satisfaction and freedom of an independent artist, the constant grind of self-promotion was taking its toll. This, along with a storm of change in her personal life, meant it was time for her to move on. Thus her next CD, Hurricane of Change, represented a new chapter, both artistically and personally for Elisabeth Cutler.

  Recorded in Nashville, with producer George Marinelli, Jr. (guitarist with James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby), Cutler’s fourth CD, Hurricane of Change, was released in Europe in 2002 by the Dutch label, Inbetweens Records, and immediately earned Elisabeth a new overseas audience as well as opening the door to an exciting adventure. She was immediately well received by booking agents, and she began to tour the stages of Switzerland, Austria, Holland, England, and Italy.

  Recently, these open gateways into Europe have lead to the opportunity to write the English lyrics for four songs in the soundtrack of Ultimi Della Classe, an Italian Warner Brother's movie (2008) directed by Luca Biglione.

  Distilled from her European travels, Cutler's fifth album, Slow Release, is a lyrically dense, adventurous and musically experimental work, about the rebirth of a woman and artist in a new world. A now mature Elisabeth relaxes into the music and is more connected with her voice than ever before.

  Furthermore, due to a chance meeting with Francesca Cassio, singer and scholar of Indian music, Elisabeth discovered a new perspective and vocal dimension to singing. She has entered a new state of grace: palatable in musical texture, audible, strong and clear as never before. Her approach to singing is refined and superb in phrasing and breath; she is direct and pure.

  Recorded at Start Studio in Rome, (the preferred studio of Sergio Cammarieri, Raiz, Grazia Di Michele, Morgan, Paolo Fresu and many others) with the participation of Marco Siniscalco, Saverio Capo, Andrea Leali, Francesca Cassio, Oscar Bonelli and Tony Cerqua, Slow Release was produced by Filippo De Laura, the perfect producer for the poetic world of Elisabeth Cutler.

  “After five albums,” affirms Elisabeth, “I now understand that the creation of a new work is the closest experience to motherhood. It is that disc, so new and so yours, that now must go on its way and confront indifference, disapproval or applause. One must let go. It is a Slow Release.

  Elisabeth enchants and reaches a listener's ears and heart through her warm and engaging voice, her personal lyrics, and her soothing and unexpected compositions. Her time has come and she is ready to reach a searching and open-minded audience.