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 traditional instrumentation. Recent composing credits include Jason Yamamoto's When You Leave, Cole Dupzyk and Ellen Mowat's The Rainbow Dung Beetle, and Isabella Hicks' Loteria!.

 

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. 

 

A natural storyteller since childhood, Celisse was drawn by the power of music in telling stories without words, especially through film and television. 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, some of which have been selected for film festivals both in the United States and internationally.

 

When not writing music, Celisse likes to dance and paint. She loves experimenting with cooking and baking, and she enjoys a good afternoon tea.