Elise Lebec

Born and raised in San Diego, California, pianist Elise Lebec, also known professionally as Tabitha Lebec, discovered an early affinity for new age recordings by George Winston, Enya, Loreena McKennitt, and Andreas Vollenweider, prompting her to begin piano studies at the age of four. While mastering classical repertoire, she developed parallel tastes for pop and rock during her high-school years. After relocating to New Zealand for a two-year stay, she settled briefly in Sydney, Australia, where an encounter with painter Charles Billich resulted in her debut release, Tabitha Plays Billich, whose booklet reproduced several of Billich’s canvases. She next spent five years in England, during which she co-founded the band Post Pop Federation alongside Mike Lindup of Level 42 and Roland Chadwick; the ensemble issued its sole album, PPF, on Warner Bros. Records. Returning to the United States, Lebec collaborated on songwriting and recording projects with Peter Bernstein, Pat Robinson, and Robert Johnson. In 2004 she issued her second album, the vocal collection Back to Innocence, again credited to Tabitha Lebec. Resuming instrumental work under the name Elise Lebec, she delivered her third album, Possible Dreams, in 2006.