Emily Edelstein is a violist originally from Lexington, Massachusetts. She spent two years as a performing artist for Lincoln Center Stage, where she presented a diverse array of concerts in a piano quintet aboard Holland America Line cruises, traveling to countries around the world. Emily is the founding violist, banjoist, and vocalist for Quartet Davis, an ensemble dedicated to playing innovative original works for string quartet with a focus on improvisation across multiple folk-music traditions. In 2020, Quartet Davis released their debut album, Three Lefts Make a Right. The quartet has collaborated with artists such as Billy Childs and Fabian Almazan, and has played in art museums, festival stages, bars, barns, bandshells and concert halls across the country. As an educator, Emily teaches private violin and viola lessons and has coached chamber music as a guest practitioner at programs including Chamber Music Connection Columbus, Artaria School of Chamber Music in St. Paul, and Kings Academy in Amman, Jordan. She helped design and co-teach a community music program in Lorain, OH that teaches musical and collaborative skills to students aged 5-13 through the medium of Javanese gamelan. Emily holds a Bachelor’s degree in Viola Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory, where she studied with Kirsten Docter and Michael Strauss and received a minor in Ethnomusicology. She has been a string quartet fellow at Madeline Island Chamber Music and Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, as well as a student at the PROJECT Trio Collaborative Composition workshop, and the Silkroad Global Musician Workshop where she performed with members of the Silkroad Ensemble. When not playing viola, Emily loves hiking, making art, learning Yiddish, and watching dog videos.
Summer Chamber Music Workshop Participants
“I learned how to listen, how to be helpful, and how to be accepting at Apple Hill.”
“I liked the opportunity to play chamber music with talented musicians and excellent coaches in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.”
