Amber Emson started playing violin at the age of 5 as a pupil of Margaret Norris and later Natasha Boyarsky; in 2009 she joined the Royal Academy of Music’s Junior Department. As a student at Chetham’s School of Music 2014-16, she won the Concerto Competition resulting in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Chetham’s Sinfonia at Manchester Cathedral, and the Catherine Perkins Chamber Music Prize. Since September 2016 Amber has been home schooled; she currently studies violin under the tutelage of Maciej Rakowski and enhances her music education at the Royal College of Music’s Junior Department.
Prizes and awards in recent years include 1st prizes at Croydon Music Festival, Kingston upon Thames Festival of the Performing Arts and in the Concerto Competition at Ealing Festival in 2017. In Germany’s “Jugend Musiziert” competition Amber won 3rd prizes in 2013, 2014 and again in 2016. At the Eastbourne Young Soloist competition in January 2017 Amber was awarded the St Cecilia Prize for the most promising performer under 18, and in March 2017 she won the Concerto Competitions in both Hastings International Festival and Springboard Festival in Brighton. For the season 2017/18, she received invitations for Concerto performances from the Sussex Concert Orchestra and the Orchestra of the City.
Amber is a passionate chamber musician regularly participating at Pro Corda and MusicWorks courses. Together with her duo partner cellist Willard Carter, she won this year’s RCM JD Chamber Music Competition; both will perform at the Wigmore Hall on 22nd June 2017 as part of their annual Young Artists’ showcase concert.
Amber plays on a fine violin by Matthew Taylor from 1806.