Elise Lebec

Pianist Elise Lebec (aka Tabitha Lebec) was born and raised in San Diego, CA, where, as a child, she was attracted to the music of such new age artists as George Winston, Enya, Loreena McKennitt, and Andreas Vollenweider, and took up the piano at age four. She began to learn classical pieces, but also took an interest in pop and rock in high school. She moved to New Zealand, where she lived for two years, and then to Sydney, Australia, where she came in contact with the painter Charles Billich, leading to the release of her first album, Tabitha Plays Billich, the CD booklet featuring reproductions of Billich's paintings. Next, she moved to England, where she lived for five years and formed the band Post Pop Federation with Mike Lindup of Level 42 and Roland Chadwick; the group released an album, PPF, on Warner Bros. Records. Moving back to the U.S., Lebec worked with a variety of musicians, including Peter Bernstein, Pat Robinson, and Robert Johnson, on writing and recording projects. She released her second album, a collection of vocal songs called Back to Innocence, again under the name Tabitha Lebec, in 2004. Switching back to piano instrumentals and calling herself Elise Lebec, she released her third album, Possible Dreams, in 2006. ~ William Ruhlmann