Hailed by critics for her “tonal bloom” and “hauntingly beautiful performances,” English-American performer and composer Emi Ferguson can be heard playing modern and baroque flutes live in concerts and festivals around the world as well as at home in New York City where she is a member of the New York New Music Ensemble, NYBI, Argento Ensemble, and New Vintage Baroque.
Emi is the 1st Prize winner of the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, of the New York Flute Club Young Artist competition, the Mid-Atlantic Flute Competition, the Juilliard Concerto Competition, the J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition, and was a recipient of the 2014 Salon de Virtuosi grant. Additionally, Emi has spoken and performed at several TEDX events and has been featured on media outlets including The Discovery Channel and Juilliard Digital’s TouchPress apps. In 2011, Emi was a featured performer alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and James Taylor at the 10th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony of 9/11 at Ground Zero, where her performance of Amazing Grace was televised worldwide. Her performance that day is now part of the permanent collection at the 911 Museum. Passionate about developing new music, Emi has premiered works by Wayne Oquin, Kendall Briggs, Elliott Carter and even CPE Bach. Emi has been a featured performer at the Marlboro Music, Lake Champlain, and Lucerne Festivals, June in Buffalo, Twickenham Fest, and Chamberfest Dubuque, and has performed and taught with Juilliard Global in Brazil, PianoSonoma in California, Juilliard Baroque in Germany, and Les Arts Florissants in France and has been featured as a soloist and ambassador for Elliott Carter’s music in China and Japan.
Emi is currently on the faculty of the Juilliard School teaching Ear Training in the Evening and Pre-College divisions and has taught on the faculty of the University of Buffalo. Her principal teachers have been Carol Wincenc, Sandra Miller, Robert Langevin, and Judy Grant. Born in Japan and raised in London and Boston, she now resides in New York City.