Emily McPherson is a composer currently based in Breckenridge, Colorado. Her work includes a wide variety of instrumentation across different styles including solo, large and small chamber ensembles, large ensembles, and electronics via fixed media and live electronics. Her work is primarily influenced by external media such as the visual arts, environment, poetry/written text, and a connection to physical space and time. Collaboration lives at the center of her work and consistently works with persons in non-adjacent disciplines such as architecture, videography, art, performance, poetry, etc.
McPherson’s works have been performed throughout the United States and internationally in Xi’an, China. Her music has been honored and awarded at festivals, events, and publications such as Yarn/Wire Institute, Electronic Music Midwest, The_____Experiment Conversations CD, UToledo Student Composition Competition, NASA Region 5 Conference, Research on Contemporary Composition Conference, International Composition Competition for Electronic & Electroacoustic Masters Vol. 1, Performing Media Festival, She Can, We Can: Beyond the Women’s Suffrage Centennial (2021), Alba Composition Program (2021), and SPLICE Institute 2021.
Timbre is the backbone of her compositional interest. Her work often expresses emotion through slow changing textures. McPherson works towards creating materials that lend themselves towards disciplines such as art, dance, and video.
Emily holds her BM in Music Composition from Bowling Green State University where she studied under Drs. Elainie Lillios, Mikel Keuhn, Marilyn Shrude, and Christopher Dietz. Currently, she is pursuing her MM in Music Composition from Pennsylvania State University under the direction of Dr. Baljinder Sekhon.
Recent Consortium: “UNSOUND” for solo piano, open enrollment now!
New recordings and videos coming soon.
Emily McPherson 