BIO
“Emily not only has a shimmering, beautiful instrument but possesses a fine intellect and the gift of an innate connection to music.” (Christine Moore) Since moving to Chicago, Emily Thornton has made a name for herself through her talent, adaptability, and kind heart, and she is looking forward to taking on new challenges and setting new goals for her personal and professional journey.
Emily currently studies with Rebecca Schorsch in both musical theatre and classical music singing. Most recently, she participated in a masterclass presented by Broadway Evolved in which she sang Musical Theatre selections for Tony Award Winner, Laura Benanti. Before then, Emily participated in the 2019 Classical Singers National Singing Competition, where she reached the semi-finals in the Emerging Professionals division.
Emily was most recently seen playing the role of “Cupid” in Henry Purcell’s King Arthur, which was a modernized production directed by Susan Payne-O’Brien and conducted by Neal Goren. In the fall of 2019, Emily participated in a special performance of a collection of new works presented for the 2019 Central Regional National Association of Teachers of Singing Conference. Under the musical direction of Dana Brown, "New, Now, Next" featured new music compositions from the soprano anthology curated by Laura Strickling for NewMusicShelf.com. In this recital, Emily performed songs by Emerson Eads, Ray Lustig, and Juliana Hall.
Emily got her start with performing through talent shows and Musical Theatre. In the past, she has performed such roles as Sally Bowles (Cabaret), Lil’ Red (Into the Woods), and Jeanie (Hair). However, she was and still is known for her dance skills, which led her to be appointed dance captain for a number of musical productions under the creative direction of Gregory Marsh. She later worked as Marsh’s assistant choreographer for two major productions in the Albany area: Legally Blonde (Schenectady Light Opera Company) and Spring Awakening (Our Own Productions).
Emily is still an avid dancer, while she also enjoys practicing instruments and expanding her singing style. She was trained as a violinist for 15 years and is also self-taught on the guitar, piano, and ukulele.
In 2020, Emily received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts Administration, which was given in 2015 from Wagner College.