Shakespeare’s Sonnets

All music IS ORIGINAL, written by Elisa & her collaborators

I was inspired to start this project in the spring of 2020 after watching a few of Sir Patrick Stewart’s #asonnetaday videos on Instagram. Struggling to be creative with all the anxiety and emotion surrounding Coronavirus, Shakespeare’s beautiful language captured my focus and was a welcome relief.

Forty-three of the sonnets have been written so far (some have yet to be posted) and I intend to write all 154, however long it may take. My relationship to the project continues to change and grow: I’ve explored genres from bluegrass to punk, early music to techno. Sometimes I experiment with fun video techniques, mostly I keep it simple. The sonnets quickly became a wonderful chance to collaborate with close musicians and friends, and recently has expanded to collaborations with artists around the world.

I’ve performed many of the sonnets live, in the USA and in Europe, and seeing how Shakespeare can resonate with audiences through song has been a complete joy. Sonnet 1 is the first to be performed by another artist, soprano Cornelia Samuelis and violinist Martin Dehning, in multiple concerts around Germany in 2026.

If you’d like to bring the sonnets to your venue or event, or perform some of them yourself, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

You can enjoy the complete collection below or directly on YouTube.