Fri 02 May 2025, 20:00 – JUMP! by Elsa

ELSA
ELSA is a four-piece band led by vocalist Elsa Steixner, driven by an insatiable curiosity.
Courage, fear, longing, and chaos- their 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.

After their mostly acoustic debut album A Day on Solid Ground, known for its clarity and
calmness, the band presents a new, versatile sound on their second album JUMP!.

With freer song structures, a wider dynamic range, and a stronger focus on rhythm and groove, they create an album full of unique yet always inviting compositions Influenced by the urgency of artists like Nina Simone and Abdullah Ibrahim and the compositional range and sophistication of songwriters like Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell, ELSA’s sound is built on a foundation of jazz, folk, and RnB. With this embrace of tradition combined with a curious and attentive perspective on the present, the band is creating a sense of timelessness while remaining deeply current.

"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
2024 // Performance grant from the Werner Richard – Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation (DE)
2024 // Winner of the Sparda Jazz Award (DE)
2024 // Winner of the Summerjazz Pinneberg Award (DE)
2024 // Start Grant for Music and Performing Arts by the BMKOES (AT)
2023 // Nomination for the Dutch Newcomer Heij Konijn Award (NL)
2023 // Popronde 2023 (NL)
2022 // Winner at the Viersen Jazzband Challenge (DE)

Line up:
Elsa Steixner – vocals
Julian Bazzanella – piano
Jakob Lang – double bass
Daniel Louis – drums

"Listening to ELSA's music, you get the feeling as if you're taken by the hand by a long-lost friend,
bringing you back to yourself.
Her songs interweave personal stories, feelings and reflections in a way that resemble the work of Joni Mitchell in lyricism and in the spirited performance of Nina Simone.
Take a good look around in the audience during an ELSA performance. It's not surprising to catch most people with closed eyes, smiling. It can be regarded as an achievement how Elsa and her tightknit ensemble of musicians are able to transfer their soulful and authentic performance unto a wide audience, from one to a hundred years old."
- Jetse de Jong (Pianist & Composer)

"The combination of refined and elegant songwriting, a great band and a mesmerizing and
accomplished singer who means every word she sings, touches my heart deeply every time. And
looking around me.....I’m not the only one!"
- Izaline Calister (Singer-Songwriter, Edison winner)