Elisabeth von Trapp Christmas

Elisabeth von Trapp Christmas will include selections from her 1999 CD "Christmas Song" and others. American-Austrian Society members will receive the reservation form with the November Newsletter mailed on November 13.

The Boston Globe recently said of Elisabeth von Trapp that "before the concert is over she will have the crowd gasping with the sheer beauty of her voice."

Elisabeth grew up surrounded by music on her familyıs farm in Waitsfield, Vermont. Her father was a member of the world renowned Trapp Family Singers. Elisabethıs earliest musical memories include the sound of Baroque instruments and four part harmonies of the family choir. Inspired by her father's guitar playing and singing she began taking piano lessons when she was eight. At sixteen she was playing guitar and traveling the back roads of New England performing with her siblings at weddings, gospel meetings and state hospitals.

A unique combination of the ethereal and earthy, Elisabeth's voice has been nurtured by a rich tradition of classical, folk and pop music. Her formative musical influences included Mozart, Schubert and Bartok, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and The Beatles. Well-suited to resound from within the sanctuaries of European cathedrals to the Great Hall of New York Cityıs Grand Central Station and described by The New York Times as "hauntingly clear ... tender and romantic," her voice moves easily from a whisper to a full-throated cry, enchanting audiences with each performance.

Her concert programs cover a wide stylistic range. With seamless ease, Elisabeth applies her luminescent voice to the music of Gregorian chant, Richard Rogers, country and contemporary folk. Her pure voice is accompanied by the elegant arrangements of her guitar and accompanist Erich Koryıs cello. Her songs become timeless ballads revealing her penchant for beautiful melancholy.

Elisabeth has come to be identified as much as an art song singer as a folk singer and has also begun to make a mark with her original compositions. While her albums have featured soothing, ultra-melodic arrangements, her lyrics have lately reflected her interest in the writings of Shakespeare and Robert Frost.

In the spring of 2001 Elisabeth scored a nearly unprecedented coup: winning permission from Robert Frost's famously reticent publisher, Henry Holt & Co., to sing parts of the poet's oeuvre. Elisabeth is currently working at setting to music some of Frostıs most beloved poems for inclusion on her next album, Poetic License.

Describing her unique musical approach, The Chicago Tribune says that "Elisabeth von Trapp sings....with an astonishing clarity about disappointment, the power of love and coming of age... Her music reflects her classical training and her love of folk music."

Elisabeth has released three self produced albums, and has performed across the United States as well as in Canada, Austria and Russia. Her music has been featured on National Public Radio, BBC-Radio, Japanese National Radio and CNN Spanish Radio. She has appeared on CBSıs Eye on People, ABCıs Good Morning America and BBC-TV.