Emily Cooley is a 23-year-old composer of orchestral, chamber, and vocal music. A native of Milwaukee, WI, she graduated from Yale University in 2012, where she was awarded the Louis Sudler Prize for excellence in the creative arts. She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, where she studies composition with Donald Crockett. Past teachers include Kathryn Alexander, Michael Klingbeil, and John K. Boyle. She has received awards and recognition from the National Federation of Music Clubs, Tribeca New Music, PARMA Recordings, the MacDowell Club of Milwaukee, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Music Educators National Conference, the Huntsville Youth Orchestra, ASCAP, and others.

Emily's pieces, which often take inspiration from literary sources and the visual arts, have been performed internationally at concerts and festivals. She has written for a wide range of student and professional ensembles including the Yale Symphony Orchestra, the Berkeley College Orchestra, the JACK Quartet, the Fifth House Ensemble, the Argento Chamber Ensemble, the Yale Percussion Group, and SIC Inc. She has been a fellow at the Norfolk New Music Workshop, the Tennessee Valley Music Festival, and the UNL Chamber Music Institute. 

In 2013, Emily will have pieces performed by the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, the USC Thornton Symphony Orchestra, cellist Justin Dougherty, tenor Justin Werner of the New York Opera Exchange, and more. Details about upcoming performances can be found on the events page.