Biography
Emma Williams studied with Susan Milan and David Butt at the Royal College of Music and with the late Alain Marion in Paris. As a chamber musician and soloist she has performed throughout Britain as well as internationally, including recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall (Ensemble Lumiere & YCAT Finalist), BBC Radio 3 and South Bank Centre (Purcell Room). She regularly gives concerts with Richard Shaw (piano) and with Hugh Webb (harp).
Emma has recorded for BBC2 television, BBC Radio 3, Abbey Road, Cramer Music and for the Metronome, Métier, Dutton and Deux-Elles labels. She has just recorded a new CD with harpist Hugh Webb of music by Nino Rota for Zitto Music Ltd. Emma is a member of the chamber group Ensemble Lumière with whom she has recorded a CD of wind and piano chamber music by Cecilia McDowall.
In the contemporary field, Emma has premiered pieces by Malcolm Arnold, Elspeth Brooke, Robert Dick Ronan Guilfoyle, Paul Evernden, Elena Firsova, John Hawkins, Cecilia McDowall, Peter McGarr, Gary Schocker and Ryan Wigglesworth. She has also performed with the experimental contemporary group Transition_projects.
Emma has worked as principal with the National Theatre, Independent Opera, ROH2 (Opera Genesis), London Festival Opera, Opera Interludes and Carl Rosa Opera. She has also worked with the Northern Sinfonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, RTE National Symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet and London Festival Orchestra.
Her duo (with pianist Richard Shaw) has built a reputation for dynamic and imaginative programming presented in a relaxed but informative style. Their programmes are often enriched with music for piano solo, piccolo and alto flute. In Pan Magazine, the pianist Piers Lane described Emma’s “mature, confident playing, projected with authority…full of musical understanding and identification” and with a “fresh, communicative passion”.
As well as her busy performing career, Emma also runs the flute course at Hawkwood College (Gloucestershire) and has coached for the National Youth Chamber Orchestra, National Children’s Wind Orchestra, National Children’s Chamber Orchestra and the Independent Association of Prep Schools Training Concert Band, and taught at the Junior Royal Academy of Music for five years.