Elise Kermani was born in Michigan City and since May 2018 has lived in Long Beach with her husband, Sirus. Prior to that she lived in New York for 25 years (from 1992-2017). She now splits her time between Los Angeles and Long Beach, Indiana.

As a composer she has collaborated with many choregraphers and video artists around the world.

In May, 2022 her feature film Iphigenia: Book of Change was selected from 1500 entries and 100 countries (the only film from USA) to screen at the AGON International Archeology Film Festival in Athens, GREECE. She showed her latest short film "Without Fame: Antikleia" at the same festival in May of 2024.

Elise has been actively engaged in the arts from an early age. She participated in Dunes Summer Theatre workshops for children and, as a high school sophomore, provided piano accompaniment for DST’s production of My Fair Lady.

Elise received a B.A. in Music Composition from DePauw University; an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art from Columbia College, Chicago; and a Ph.D. in Media Philosophy from the European Graduate School in Saas Fee, Switzerland.

Elise's administrative experience includes positions as: Executive Producer of the Electronic Arts Performance Series at iEAR Studios (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) in Troy, NY; creator/curator for the citywide Sonic Works Music Festival in Houston, TX; and creator/curator for the World Peace World Music Festival in Wilmette, IL.

In 2008 she formed MiShinnah Productions, a company focusing on her collaborative, genre-bending performance and film based in New York City. Her avant garde sound based projects have been featured in festivals worldwide, including Singapore, Athens, Berlin, Vienna, Barcelona, and Budapest.

She also teaches media arts and film studies at SUNY Empire State College in New York.