Dame Emma Kirkby

Biography

Emma Kirkby’s career has been ground-breaking ever since, as a schoolteacher and amateur singer, she was invited to perform and record with the pioneers of historically aware performance in Renaissance and Baroque music. Long partnerships followed with British and international ensembles, individual players, and record companies, and now Emma’s voice and style are recognised worldwide.

Of a series of honours, the most recent have been a DBE in 2007 and, this year, the Queen’s Medal for Music. Amazed by all this, Emma is nevertheless glad of the recognition it implies for a way of music-making that values ensemble, clarity and stillness over such things as volume and display; above all she is delighted to see a new generation of singers and players bringing their skills to the endeavour.