THE RESONANCE ATLAS
Emily Doolittle
Biography
Canadian-born composer Emily Doolittle is based in Glasgow, where she is an Athenaeum Research Fellow and Lecturer in Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, she studied at Dalhousie University, Indiana University, the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and Princeton University.
Her work encompasses orchestral, chamber, vocal and theatrical music, often drawing on the natural world, folklore and storytelling. A particular interest is zoomusicology — the relationship between human music and the songs of birds and other animals — which she explores through composition and interdisciplinary research with scientists.
Her compositions include Woodwings for wind quintet, Reedbird, Bowheads and the chamber opera Jan Tait and the Bear. Her music has been performed internationally, and she has written for ensembles including the Vancouver Symphony, Tafelmusik and the Kapten Trio.
Why this music interests us
Doolittle's music offers a fascinating meeting point between musical imagination, the natural world and storytelling. Her interest in animal song is particularly compelling, but her work also opens possibilities for unusual instrumental combinations, chamber performance and projects for younger audiences. Four Pieces About Water, for nine instruments, reveals another aspect of her imaginative response to natural phenomena, while Woodwings offers a direct point of entry into her wind repertoire.
Selected works & listening
Woodwings; Four Pieces About Water (2000; nine instruments); Bowheads; Reedbird; Jan Tait and the Bear
Further information