Biography

Newcastle-born Emily studied harp first with Isobel Meiras at the City of Edinburgh Music School and later continued studying pedal harp and clàrsach with Catriona Mackay at St Mary’s Music School, also in Edinburgh, where she was considered to be one of their most outstanding instrumentalists.

Emily distinguished herself on many occasions as a concerto soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player and has won many prestigious prizes, including the Audrey Innes Concerto Prize 2009, the Traves Trophy in 2010 at the Edinburgh Festival Competition, the Mozart Concerto Competition and the Director’s Recital Prize at St Mary’s Music School.   In 2005, at the age of 13, she was awarded a Dewar Arts Award to buy a pedal harp.

Emily has been a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and, since September 2009, has been principal harp in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Emily is also an accomplished clàrsach player and is a member of the Sage Gateshead Folkestra and the Celtic fusion group Kilairum. She has been a finalist in the BBC Radio Two Young Folk Awards and a semi-finalist in the Young Traditional Musician competition. With Kilairum, she won a place in the Danny Kyle Open Stage at the 2010 Celtic Connections Festival.

Emily has won a scholarship to study harp with renowned harpist Nancy Allen at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. She describes this as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award enables Emily to study music at Juilliard School of Music, New York.

After a very successful first year at Juilliard, Emily’s award was extended for a second year.