Elise Leid grew up the only child of Jeffery and Stacey Leid, living a carefree life in the countryside of Morgantown, Pa. “We had woods in our back yard, and we had chickens, geese, honey bees, five outside cats, and two dogs. We currently have a farmer that grows hay on my parents property which is almost ten acres.”
With plenty of space to run and play, and never a lack of companions to keep her company, Elise recalls her childhood as a fond memory. “There was always music, too. I grew up listening to my Mom playing the piano and the harp. My Nana took me to see musicals at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, and she sang in the church choir. They were my main influences, who helped me develop a love of music.”
Another of her favorite memories is going to the Reading Phillies baseball games each year with her family. “My Dad would always get tickets through his work, and it was always something I looked forward to doing with my family.”
Her own musical journey began at Robeson Elementary School in the Twin Valley School District, where she began taking piano lessons from the music teacher. “My music teacher, Lisa Diffenbach, saw that I loved to sing, and saw that I liked music. She gave me lessons and a solo part to sing in the chorus in fourth grade and I fell in love with it. She was really a big spark for my love of music. In fourth grade I also picked up the flute, and in fifth grade I started the cello. I sang in the school choir until I graduated.”
The seeds were planted, and Elise’s musical career blossomed through her years as a student at Twin Valley. “I auditioned for select chorus in middle school and was in all of their performances. I was in the marching band parades unit in eighth and field in ninth. I played the cello in fifth grade, took a break and picked it up again in tenth, playing in the orchestra. My teacher, Tonna Dieter, offered me music lessons before school to help me catch up with the cello section in the orchestra. In high school I was in every music ensemble that was offered; chorus, select chorus, marching band, jazz band, concert band, orchestra, and part of the Tri-M Honor Music Honor Society. I was also in the Berks County Chorus for two years.”
In eighth grade Elise began participating in the school musicals, and looked forward to these performances each year. “I was in the chorus in Tarzan, a featured ensemble member in The Adams Family, and a lead role of Katherine Plumber in Newsies. Unfortunately, the school musical in 2020 was canceled due to covid, but we did a recording of it. In my junior year we did a musical review of the past years of shows, and I opened the show singing “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning, from Oklahoma. In my senior year, I played Hope, in Almost Maine, and in Annie I played a maid.”
Vocal music became serious for Elise around the age of 13, when she began vocal lessons with instructor Jessica Mattson. By the time she graduated from Twin Valley, she knew that she wanted to pursue a music degree in college. “I entered West Chester as a music education major. My choir teacher suggested that I take a double major, adding vocal performance. I auditioned for the performance degree because I wanted to work on my voice and performance. I ended up dropping the music education major because I discovered that it didn’t offer the time that I needed to improve my voice to the technique and caliber I wanted. I had tremendous growth during college with an insanely talented voice professor, Dr. Nicholas Provenzale. He was a huge influence, and he also directs the opera at West Chester. This is where my love of opera started.”
In college, Elise had the opportunity to explore and perform in the opera at West Chester. “I was in Handel’s Alcina in the chorus, but had an understudy role. As a sophomore I played the first daughter in Beauty and the Beast (Belle had two sisters and I was one of them). We took the show on tour in the area. I was in the ensemble in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. During my junior year I played the mother in Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel, Princess Gilda in The Three Feathers, and Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte.
In addition to opera performances and the rigorous rehearsals surrounding them, Elsie was a member of the West Chester Concert Choir. “We went on tour with the Concert Choir, performed at the Pennsylvania Music Educators State Conference with Master Singers, and Maryland Music Educators State Conferences. We went to South Korea on a concert tour at two universities in 2024, where I learned a lot about Korean traditional music, and traditional instruments.”
As her college experience neared its conclusion, Elise held a solo performance at West Chester, with her outstanding Senior Recital held on March 27th to a packed auditorium at the Ware Recital Hall. In addition to her last opera performance in the WCU Spring Opera on May 2nd, she sang for several graduation ceremonies following her own graduation ceremony on May 8th, where she received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. Her remarks following her graduation reflect the gratitude and appreciation she holds for the gift of music she carries with her. “Thank you Jesus, for getting me through my bachelor’s degree! All glory be to God. And thank you West Chester University for wonderful lessons, mentors, and friends.”
Throughout most of her time at West Chester, Elise managed a very full schedule, including employment outside of school. “I am the alto section leader at Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, and I teach music at Mosaic Music Lessons in Phoenixville.”
As she looks toward her future, Elise Leid sees many options for her music career. She plans to take a year to strategize and plan for the future. “I plan to continue teaching at Mosaic Music, choir directing, and offering voice and piano lessons here in Reading/Berks County while determining my next steps for graduate school for opera. My ultimate goal is to work professionally as an opera singer while continuing to teach privately, or possibly becoming a voice professor at a college.
In her free time, Elise loves crocheting, painting, baking, and spending time with family and friends and a special young man in her life.
For further information you can contact Elise through Elise Leid soprano or e_kenna2104@outlook.com.
