Described as a "rising star" (ORA Singers) and "on many a ones-to-watch list" (Johnny James, Creative Tourist), Danish-British composer Emily Pedersen was born in Thailand and raised in Malaysia before relocating to Britain in 2013.
Training
Emily Pedersen studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), where she achieved a First Class Honours degree, and at the Darmstadt Ferienkurse. She begins her Masters degree as a scholar at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in September 2025.
Ensembles & venues
She has written for musicians and ensembles including the Ora Singers, the Piatti Quartet, the Hallé Orchestra and soprano Juliet Fraser. Her work has been performed across the United Kingdom, including at Symphony Hall, Birmingham; Kings College Chapel in London; and the Ludlow Assembly Rooms.
A musical writing exploring emotional & sensory experiences alongside narrative.XXI Music Publishing
Pedersen's work often explores emotional and sensory experiences as well as narrative. By linking narrative-based structures with an approach to harmony that combines interval vectors and traditional functional harmony, Pedersen builds vibrant musical worlds.
2024 — the pivotal year
In 2024, she made her debut at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester as recipient of the RNCM's annual Symphony Orchestra commission. Also in 2024, the premiere production of her chamber opera Screenshot took place at the Stoller Hall in Manchester.
This feminist score addresses sexual abuse and the themes of sexualization, objectification and post-traumatic recovery. It was warmly received after being supported as the winning project of the RNCM Creative Innovators' Award and the Alumni Choice Award.
Education
Passionate about music education and transmission, Pedersen is currently a Composition Mentor for the EMPOWER OpusHER composition prize and a substitute Composition Tutor at the Junior RNCM.
Her next premiere, Omnes, commissioned by the Ora Singers, will be given at the Stoller Hall in Manchester in April.