Celisse is a composer for visual media based in San Francisco, California. She is a pianist, bassist, and Philippine instrumentalist whose compositions cover a range of genres and span from grand orchestral textures to intimate ensembles and traditional instrumentation. Recent composing credits include Eric Bailey Jr's Take My Hand, Jason Yamamoto's When You Leave, and Cole Dupzyk and Ellen Mowat's The Rainbow Dung Beetle.

 

From a young age, Celisse trained classically in piano and voice. She also grew up immersed in Philippine music through her involvement with Haranistas de Manila, a premier Philippine ethnic percussion and Rondalla ensemble in California. At age 10, she joined the group as its youngest principal musician, playing bass and kulintang. Since then, she has continued to hone her skills and participates in orchestras both as a bassist and cellist.

 

While pursuing her BFA in Film Editing and Film Music at Chapman University and her MM in Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music, Celisse was able to score student films and collaborate with directors both in-person and remotely. She continues to write music for short films and has been awarded for her work at film festivals both in the United States and internationally.