Elise was born in New York to Dutch and French parents. She is 16 years old and attends eleventh grade at the Packer Collegiate Institute. Elise has been participating in the Suzuki program at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music since she was five years old and has had the privilege to be taught by Junko Nagai over the last seven years. Thanks to Ms. Nagai, Elise has had the opportunities to perform at piano recitals and piano festivals not only at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music but also at outside venues such as the Opera Center and Steinway Hall. In 2024, Elise started participating in piano competitions. She was awarded several awards giving her the privilege of playing several times at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Victor Borge Hall at the Scandinavia House. Elise is close to her sister and younger brother. She is bilingual in English and French, and in her spare time likes to dance at the Mark Morris Dance Center, spend time with her friends, and play the tennis.
Watch Elise Marie-Blanche Van Kwawegen perform Couplets du Toreador from the Opera of Carmen by Georges Bizet on the piano for the 2026 Classical Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.