"One of the leading baroque cellists of the new generation—her playing combines technical excellence with a sophisticated taste for style and interpretation.”
—Tess Remy-Schumacher, Chair of Historical Performance Department at University of Central Oklahoma
Emily Davidson, baroque cellist, is a fresh voice in the new generation of historical performance. Originally from New York, Emily spent the first 7 years of her career freelancing in Boston, MA. She currently lives, performs, and teaches in Los Angeles, CA. Emily released her debut solo CD, BASS SOUNDS: Music for Unaccompanied Cello from the Early Baroque, in February 2013, and followed with BASS SOUNDS: Evolved in July 2014. Emily was founder and director of Emergence Quartet, period instrument string quartet. In October 2014 she released OldStyle, an album of baroque pieces turned into electronic dance remixes, with nationally-recognized Dj CUTMAN. Emily received her Master’s degree in Early Music Performance from The Longy School of Music of Bard College as a student of Phoebe Carrai. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from The Hartt School at The University of Hartford. She brings her historical approach to new platforms, drawing a passionate following on YouTube and Instagram for classical music. She has been interviewed in The Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, and on NPR.
Early in her undergraduate career, Emily found that “early” music—classical music written roughly before 1750—was what resonated with her. She devoted herself to the study and practice of this repertoire by attending American Bach Soloists Academy (San Francisco, CA), Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute (Oberlin, OH), International Baroque Institute at Longy (Cambridge, MA), Amherst Early Music Baroque Academy (New London, CT), and Amherst Early Music Winter Workshop (Philadelphia, PA). She serves as the Assistant Director of Phoebe Carrai’s Baroque Cello Bootcamp (Cambridge, MA). Emily has performed in masterclasses for Manfredo Kraemer, Tanya Tomkins, Judy Tarling, Elisabeeth Reed, Rachel Podger, and Kenneth Slowik, and alongside Phoebe Carrai, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Robert Mealy, Gonzalo Ruiz, Catherina Meints, and Jeffrey Thomas. Emily has appeared with the Handel and Haydn Society, The Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra, The Boston Camerata, Grand Harmonie, Harvard Early Music Society, Society for Historically Informed Performance (SoHIP), Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series, Exsultemus, Musical Offering, The Oriana Consort, and other ensembles in the Greater Boston area, as well as at the Berkeley Festival and Exhibition Fringe series in California.
As a teaching artist, Emily gives lectures on baroque music, historical string playing, and music history. She served as Artist-in-Residence at University of Central Oklahoma Center for Historical Performance in September 2013. She has worked with elementary, middle, high school and college students in New York and Massachusetts. Emily has a private studio of cello students from young children to adult amateurs, and also offers Skype lessons. As one of the largest-reaching young artists on social media for classical music, Emily offers lectures and consulting to help musicians use social media marketing to build their audience. She shares her thoughts on classical music culture on her blog Historically Incorrect.