This Montreal-born musician is based in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec. She spent most of her life carving out various paths through the arts and worked many years as an art conservator before deciding to focus with more vigour on her life-long passion of writing music.

All is fair play in Alise's creative process - having produced a broad repertoire brimming with endless guitar adventures, some forays into mandolin territory, and an incredible range of subject matter. With influences as varied as Billie Holiday, Bruce Cockburn, Edith Piaf and Dr. Seuss, to name a few, the common thread is her desire to "serve the song", drawing from a range of styles while ultimately evoking her own unmistakably rich and original sound.

She has entertained audiences throughout the Ottawa/Outaouais region with her engaging repertoire - sometimes playing solo, sometimes backed by a double bassist and a percussionist, as well as being part of CFMA nominated folk trio, Frida's Brow, alongside Jennifer Noxon and Chris MacLean. Alise has performed openening sets for the likes of Ron Sexsmith, the The Wailin' Jenny's and Terry Tufts to name a few. Other events she has performed at as a solo artist include "Absolute Acoustics - a celebration of the acoustic guitar" featuring Don Ross; "International Women's Day" at the National Arts Centre 4th Stage, hosted by Connie Kaldor; and summer festivals such as the CKCU-Ottawa Folk Festival, Blue Skies Festival and Eaglewood Folk Festival.

With her début album, Stillness Hold On, produced by Ian Tamblyn, Alise first established herself as an accomplished songwriter distinguished by a compelling, evocative voice and strong musicianship. Her newly released second solo album, Room For Less, co-produced with James Stephens, has also been garnering much acclaim. (please see Press for reviews)

In the spring of 2005 Alise took the reins as resident songwriter and musical director for Theatre Wakefield’s production of a new bilingual musical play entitled Cabaret Civil - a political satire revolving around the Quebec City anti-globalization protests of 2001. She was subsequently enlisted by Theatre Wakefield to produce the album Cabaret Civil: Songs from the Theatre Wakefield Production – a swinging collection of songs interspersed with provocative sound-scapes.

Maybe it was the prospect of momentary freedom from the confines of being in tow, or perhaps it was the sheer pride with which she sported her brand new red winter boots that compelled Alise to march up to the boy standing at the edge of the Fairview Shopping Mall fountain and declare, with the self-assurance of a newly-turned-five-year-old, that he could not put his foot into those spurts of water because he only had running shoes on. With a deft demonstration to bring the point home, she spouted: “I have boots on – see?”.

Now you might think such boldness and self-confidence would someday result in the making of a successful self-made motivational speaker, a powerful CEO, ...some kind of cult leader, etc. And, how, you may ask, would Alise, later in life, instead be drawn deep down into introspective, solitary obsessions such as, for example, crafting thoughts and fears into sensitive folk songs and singing them into the wardrobe at the back of the bedroom when no one was around? (She did eventually get beyond the wardrobe).

If all is told, once Alise found herself flailing about in that cold bubbling water she was not thinking about ironic lessons in humility. Nor was she thinking of the complete embarrassment of the situation, ahem, especially from her mother's point of view. (And she didn't, as later pointed out by her pesky older brother, even think to grab any coins from the bottom!) From the moment of that fateful, faltering public plunge, throughout the ordeal of being dredged and dragged out by strangers like some kind of ailing marine creature in a wildlife documentary, and during the agonizing slosh over to the dress shop, the only thing on her mind and bah-babbling from her mouth was “m-o-m-m-y!"