Emily Duncan, flute

Flutist Emily Duncan is an electrifying, theatrical performer and teacher redefining what it means to be an artist in today’s musical landscape. Through innovative costuming music that blends the classical, pop, and electronic genres, Emily is creating new musical experiences that live at the intersection of music, technology, theater, and art.

As a contemporary classical musician, Emily has performed with The Ambient Orchestra, The New Juilliard Ensemble, AXIOM, and the New York Summergarden Series. From 2013-2016, she toured across the United States, premiering new solo and ensemble works with the Center for New Music at The University of Iowa. In New York, she has performed in a wide array of venues such as The New York Transit Museum, MoMA, The New York Times Building, National Sawdust, and Alice Tully Hall. This past winter, she was the principal flutist on tour with the Ambient Orchestra for “Bowie Cello Symphonic: Blackstar”, a live performance of David Bowie’s final album. During the current Covid-19 outbreak, Emily partnered with the new music company OpusCommons to put on a virtual flute and tech recital.

As a theater artist, Emily made her off-Broadway debut as the Train Conductor and beatbox flutist in Patrick Dunning’s The Signature Project. She also appeared as a corseted “Caveling” musician in the folk opera The Cave, collaborating with guitarists, bassists, fiddles, and more in an improvised score. Their band-wide improvisations created a new experience with each performance. Most recently, she appeared as The Prince in Barefoot Shakespeare’s Lady Capulet in Central Park.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in music and a bachelor’s degree in English from The University of Iowa where she also completed her studies in the Undergraduate Creative Writing Program. She holds a Master of Music Degree from The Juilliard School. She is currently based in NYC.