About elias wolf / Lisa Forkish

Elias Wolf (formerly Lisa Forkish – they/she/he) is a queer singer-songwriter, community-cultivator, artivist, song-healer and educator, infusing all they create with fierce authenticity and heart. Raised on unceded Kalapuya land (Eugene, OR) among majestic Douglas firs and her motherʻs baby grand piano, Elias finds magic in that which is unseen but deeply heard and felt. 

For the past two decades, Elias has been using song as both an expressive art and a tool for building connection; their ultimate aim in life is to utilize music for personal and collective healing and liberation.

For Elias, teaching and facilitating music spaces is much more than a job: it is a sacred calling. Whether it be at a festival with hundreds of participants, diving deep with 12 singers, or finding tenderness in a 1:1 session, Elias shows up with warmth, grace and humor. Elias has been at the musical helm of nine different vocal groups over the past 20 years, and is a sought-after ensemble coach and clinician. ​​Elias is also an award-winning vocal arranger,  and their arranging and music directing work has been showcased alongside Kehlani, Ben Harper, Michael Franti, Pentatonix and the Oakland Symphony Chorus. Elias’ stint as director of University of Oregon’s a cappella group Divisi from ‘03-’06 was the inspiration for the film “Pitch Perfect” and from 12-’19 they ran a 501(c)(3) advocacy organization devoted to uplifting marginalized voices in the vocal music scene and producing an annual festival at Berkeley’s iconic venue and education center, Freight & Salvage.

A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Elias first combined music and social justice while a student, chairing Musicians Against Sexual Violence and leading the community in their first ever “Take Back the Night” rally. With 25 years performing under their belt both as a solo artist and as a vocal collaborator/member of an ensemble, Elias has taken the stage at SF Jazz Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Yoshi’s, and loves nothing more than knocking down the perceived walls between performer and audience.

From ‘11-’20, Elias served as Vocal Music Faculty at Oakland School for the Arts where they founded and directed five-time national champion high school a cappella group, Vocal Rush. Known for their unique arrangements, uplifting performances and commitment to music for social change, Vocal Rush took third place on NBCʻs reality competition show “The Sing-Off” and was named one of the “YBCA 100” alongside artists and activists Janelle Monae, Rafael Casal and #metoo movement founder, Tarana Burke.  Elias is the recipient of the Mason McDuffie Education Foundation Award for “Outstanding Educator,” Portland’s “Songwriter of the Year” award, and is one of the 2024 recipients of Lane Arts Council’s project grants, funding a queer youth a cappella program in Lane County called RISE. 

Elias is currently a settler on occupied Kalapuya land where they live with their wife, their Yamaha upright, two pups (Henry and Hector) and two cats Pua and Sol.

Elias Wolf CV