Emma Donkin is a northern Colorado composer, educator, and pianist focused on creating evocative, rhythmically-inventive music. Emma previously taught choir, guitar, musical theater, and career foundations from 2024-2026 at Colorado Early Colleges in Fort Collins, CO. She has also taught privately for over 10 years (piano, composition, guitar, and beginner mandolin). Emma has served as an adjunct music theory instructor at Youngstown State University, and previously served as a full time Worship Arts Director for over 5 years in Northeast Ohio. Her most recent large-scale creative project was serving as a Composer-in-Residence at the University of Akron Jazz Fest in April of 2024, where she had the honor to write and direct four newly commissioned works for the UAkron big band. A featured composer at the 2021 and 2023 International Trombone Festival Composer’s Workshops and a 2022 Impulse New Music Festival Call for Scores Finalist, she has collaborated with musicians across the world. Emma constantly feels lucky to know and play with so many wonderful musicians and people, and loves every chance she gets to make music with them.

Emma earned her M.M. in 2021 from the University of Akron under Dr. Jamie Wilding and Dr. Robert Brownlow, and her B.M. in 2018 from Youngstown State University under Dr. David Morgan.