Emma Blacoe
Flute Irish/British Age: 21 Frédéric Chopin Astor Piazzolla Lili Boulanger Hamilton Harty |
Emma is a flautist from Northern Ireland who recently completed her BMus degree in Queen’s University Belfast with a first-class honour. She found her love for performance in high school, joining the wind band, orchestra, flute ensemble, chamber choir and the EA Board orchestra, giving an opportunity to perform in the SSE arena. After achieving her performance diploma and starting her music degree, Emma studied the flute with Aisling Agnew, flutist with Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble based in Belfast. During her time in the university, Emma’s yearly involvement with performance classes led to invitations and performance opportunities with HRSE and the Belfast Pops Orchestra. In her final year of study, she also had the chance to perform for the public in a lunchtime recital held in the Harty Room and later established the first Queen’s Flute Choir.
Despite her love for performing, her real passions for music stems from her tutoring of both the flute and piano. Having taught nearly 30 young students over the last 4 years, Emma has chosen to further her study of music and now education through a Postgraduate Certificate of Education in Ulster University. |
Programme Notes
Emma’s programmes are inspired by her final year recital at Queen’s University titled ‘Music From Every Corner’. With composers from France, Greece, Poland, Russia, Northern Ireland, Argentina and Britain, listeners can experience music not just from multiple eras but diverse influences. They also include pieces from three female composers, a much-needed addition in today’s recitals as a female performer. The first programme focuses on displaying the range of a flute’s character potential with the opening works, beginning with a lesson known composition from Chopin. Piazzolla was encouraged to focus on his Tango composition by Nadia Boulanger, sister to Lili Boulanger. The ‘Nocturne’ follows, complimenting the virtuosic ‘In Ireland’ with the final bars nodding to Debussy for added Impressionism influence. Her personal two favourite pieces come from Harty and Chaminade, bringing the composition location of the programme’s pieces closer to home. |