Originally from Houston, Texas, Elise Shope received her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Michigan while studying under Amy Porter. In Michigan, she appeared with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and performed the Ibert Flute Concerto at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. Shope later attended the Manhattan School of Music, earning her Master of Music degree under the tutelage of Robert Langevin. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic and appeared on the stages of Carnegie Hall, St. John the Divine, and Avery Fisher Hall.

Shope was a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West. She has played under the baton of Valery Gergiev, Alan Gilbert, David Zinman, Peter Oundjian, and Leonard Slatkin. Alongside the New York Philharmonic and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, Shope can be heard on the Deutsche Grammaphon label performing Sebastian Currier’s piece Time Machines. In addition to her classical music performances, she plays other genres, such as Brazilian popular, Irish folk, and classical Hindustani.

Shope joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Second Flutist in September 2012.