Elisse La Barre earned a PhD, ABD in cultural musicology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, specializing in American music and massed spectacles. La Barre has delivered and published papers internationally and domestically on topics related to California's music legacy as well as performance rights organization (P.R.O.) copyright history and law. She received a MA in music history and literature from California State University, East Bay. Her thesis, Reconstructing the Instrumental Soundscape of Alta California 1769-1848, explores the importance of instrumental music-making communities. 

La Barre currently conducts orchestras in California and develops courses and lectures at the University of the Pacific Music Conservatory and Las Positas College. Her fellowships and positions include: Library of Congress (2017), Popular Culture Association & American Culture Association Grant Recipient, University of California, Santa Cruz Regent Fellow, The Art's Dean Fund for Excellence, UCSC Porter College Associate Fellow, Grateful Dead Archives Fellow, University of Mauritius Visiting Lecturer, awardee of the national Kappa Alpha Theta "35 Under 35," CSU, East Bay Getty Music Scholarship, and Huntington Library Exhibit Consultant.

La Barre is the co-founder and director of the statewide Eureka! Musical Minds of California conference that aims to create an unprecedented environment to showcase the diverse work created in California musical institutions.