About coco

Actress-Musician-Composer-Screenwriter-Conductor-Doula-Poet-Visual Artist-Music Director-Scorer-Producer-DJ-Film Scorer-Vocalist-Social Media Manager-Educator

Consultant

Coco Elysses, a modern-day renaissance woman is the former Chair of the venerable AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). A powerful force in Chicago’s creative music scene and worldwide, she co-producer the AACM’s historic 55th Anniversary concert, where she made her debut as a conductor of the GBME (Great Black Music Ensemble). She also produced, AACM: Ancient to the Future concert featured at Carnegie Hall’s celebrated Afrofuturism Festival. 

A formally trained writer, with an MFA in creative writing, Coco was a published poet before even graduating. Her multidisciplinary artistry and magnetic presence have made her a sought-after collaborator in theatre, television, and music. During its second season, she was featured as a musician on FOX’s critically acclaimed drama Empire.

Coco was selected by Symphonic Distribution’s Women Empowered & Mentorship Program, one of twenty-five women leaders globally selected that provided mentorship to women artist that aim to further the progress of women throughout the music industry. Coco was part of cohort 7 of Mutual Mentorship for Musicians, one of twelve women globally selected to empower and give visibility to overlooked musicians through a radical model of mentorship and musical collaborative commissions.

Coco’s musical voice transcends genres. Her original house music tracks are featured in Thee Debauchery Ball Documentary-The Director’s Cut. Her voice can be heard guiding audiences through the Skywatchers of Africa instillation at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium and most recently, as the featured voice over artist in Faith Ringgold’s exhibition, “American People” at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA).  She made her international debut as a DJ and electronic sound designer at the Women from Space Festival in Toronto, Canada in a duet with Nicole Mitchell. 

In the realm of video games, Coco has lent her voice to titles including, Saint’s Row, EverQuest II and Watchdogs. In 2018 she won the ALTA Awardand in 2019, made history as the first African American woman to win the non-equity Jeff Award for Best Original Music in a Play for Tilikum. Her compositions for the play, written on the Diddley Bow—an African American instrument with deep cultural roots and near-mythic status—bridging African heritage with Mississippi Delta Blues. 

As an actress and composer Coco performed inAntigone with Baltimore Center Stage’s touring mobile unit, portraying Tiresias while scoring the production. She was featured in George E. Lewis’ opera and film, Afterword via Fantasia at MCA, and has performed internationally at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival and Made in Chicago Jazz Festival in Poland.  

Coco’s recent performances include Dee Alexander’s Ancestors Reign, Khari B’s Osun’s Water (where she also serves as the Music Director) and her own ensemble, Coco Elysses’ Elixir Ensemble, featured at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and Havana Jazz Festival. She has also performed with Renee Baker’s Chicago Modern Orchestra Project, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and the Miyumi Project with Tatsu Aoki and Tsukasa Taiko. 

As a poet aHHCoco’s work appears in 99 New Poems: A Contemporary Anthology. Coco is a member of Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth SWAY. Black Earth Sway, a groundbreaking ensemble that has graced stages from Harvard University and SF Jazz to SESC Jazz Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the Panama Jazz Festival. 

Noted recordings include projects with Raiza, (Latin Soul-EMI Chile), Nicole Mitchell’s Africa Rising, Skylanding--The music of Yoko Ono (Miyumi Project), and Resurrection Suite.

Coco is a proud member of AFTRA-SAG, Actor’s Equity Association (AEA), the AACM and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM).

Photo: Dr. Traci Lombre