elias wolf (formerly Lisa Forkish - they/them) is a heart-forward, moon-guided and water-bound singer, composer, teacher, vocal director/arranger, musical spellcaster, abolitionist and community-weaver creating music and collective singing experiences. A spirited world-builder, elias is devoting this era of their life to stewarding what they call “re-humanizing queer song magic for the revolution.”
elias has been at the helm of over 15 choirs and vocal groups over the past 22 years, including 5-time national champion high school a cappella group Vocal Rush and powerhouse vocal quintet, HIVE. elias is also an award-winning vocal arranger, and their work has been showcased alongside Kehlani, Ben Harper, Pentatonix and the Oakland Symphony Chorus. Their love of organizing singing humans and producing events also led them to found an arts advocacy nonprofit devoted to uplifting marginalized voices in vocal music. elias’ stint as director of University of Oregon’s a cappella group Divisi from ‘03-’06 was the inspiration for the film “Pitch Perfect,” A graduate of Berklee College of Music, elias has six albums to their name including their most recent EP sovereign soul; a sonic sanctuary born during a year of profound unraveling and becoming. A performer of 25+ years, elias has appeared at SFJAZZ Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Yoshi’s, and is currently recording their next release, to the water, arriving in 2027.
elias identifies as a genderqueer, white-bodied witch of English, Welsh, German and Ashkenazi Jewish descent. They hold the superpowers of ADHD and high sensitivity, as well of the gifts of being a cancerian water creature. elias is currently a settler on unceded Kalapuya land where they live with their sweet chihuahua mix rescue pup Wally and their Yamaha upright piano.
You can watch this video to get an idea of what elias' singing spaces can look like, and explore their artist CV to learn more about elias' experience and training.