Education
Emily started playing the 'cello at the age of
five and was encouraged to perform publicly. As well as learning the
classical repertoire she "made up tunes" which aided her in
expressing her own emotions and feelings through the cello, the foundation
of her ability to improvise.
She was later awarded a scholarship to Wells Cathedral school where
she received specialist tuition from great ‘cellists Raphael Wallfisch
and Amarylis Fleming and was generally trained in both chamber and orchestral
playing.
At eighteen she received a scholarship
to study at the Royal College of Music in London where she was also
awarded the Helen Just Concerto Prize. She was then very fortunate to
receive further private tuition with William Pleeth.
Career
She is a renowned master of her instrument, unique
in her ability to improvise and cross genres of classical and contemporary
music.
She is a much in demand session player,
and has worked with Roger Daltrey, George Michael, Chrissie Hind, Jools
Holland, Zero 7, Stereophonics and Hans Zimmer to name a few, and is
featured on numerous albums and film soundtracks as a featured artist
and playing within string sections. (See Sessions/CV)
Until 1990 she was working solely as a 'cellist. Certain events around
this time initiated her setting up a studio and she started composing
and producing. Her first commission was to write music to accompany
readings of the book “Sacred Elephant” by Heathcote Williams.
Readings were given by the author and
then the production was adopted by the actress Virginia McKenna. Emily
accompanied playing the ‘cello and synthesizers. They toured extensively
within England performing for arts festivals and societies.
The
Amazon and it's
influence on Emily's career
In the early nineties Emily was invited to join
members of Earth Love Fund and the Gaia Foundation in a visit to the
Amazon region of Brazil. A turning point in her life, The initial result
being the production of her first CD “Earth
Songs”.
Her
association with Brazil developed with an invitation to perform some
of "Earth Songs" at the Earth Summit in Rio 1992.
At this event she also came into contact
with tribal people for the first time staying at the "Tribal Gathering"
where she witnessed and recorded tribal singing and ritual.
This is when her appreciation of Tribal
music and culture commenced. Recordings from this event are integrated
into songs on "Earth Songs".
“Earth Songs” was published by a German independent and
was released in Europe USA and Australia. Extracts from the production
were used as soundtracks for videos produced by Artists United for Nature
and the Body Shop.
She
was then awarded a cultural grant to return to Brazil. Based on the
North East Coast she spent a year researching and recording local folk
music.
She also worked as a 'cellist utilising
her improvisational skills recording and performing Brazilian music.
She started producing her second CD
"Footsteps in the Sand"
employing Manasés an eminent 12 string guitarist from the North
East of Brazil and Milton Fiori a dynamic percussionist.
“Footsteps in the Sand”
has received good reviews and is currently available online.
Whilst in Brazil she started working with Gandalf the Austrian producer
and guitarist who was on tour in Brazil. On returning to Europe she
spent some time in Vienna co-writing songs for his next two CD productions
"Gates to Secret Realities" and "Barakaya" on which
Emily is featured singing and playing the 'cello.
She also toured extensively with his
band performing both as singer and ‘cellist. “Barakaya”
was re-released by the German label GMC in 2005. Emily
Burridge's collaborative discography
The
Xavante
Parallel to her musical research in Brazil, empathy
towards the indigenous cultures developed. In particular a tribe called
the "Xavante".
Whilst living in Brazil she visited them on a few occasions and in collaboration
with the Chief formulated a project to benefit the community, "Xavante
centre of herbal medicine /small clinic" (pictured left).
On returning to the UK she founded a registered charity
“Indigenous People’s Cultural Support Trust”.
The project gained support from both organisations
and individuals and over the next four years Emily regularly lived and
worked amongst the Xavante. The centre was inaugurated amidst festive
songs and dancing in January 1998 (see above).
Central
in the Xavante culture is the tradition of singing. Emily was invited
to record both groups and individuals.
Over the years she compiled a library of their traditional
singing and these recordings have now been integrated into her new production
“Bridge between Worlds”,
an orchestral work written for full orchestra and featured ‘cello
and the live production "Bach,Burridge
& into the Amazon"
Present
Day
Now based in England accordingly productions have been
developing. She has her own studio from which she works. Here she has
completed the writing of her orchestral work "Bridge between Worlds",
developed the performance "Bach, Burridge and into the Amazon"
and has produced various compositions with fellow musicians, including
developing a duo with the highly acclaimed Pedal Steel Guitarist BJ
Cole.
Their repertoire includes arrangements of pieces by
Henry Purcell and Aaron Copeland and Eric Satie as well as their own
compositions. A dialogue has developed between the instruments and the
classical pieces provide a window through which they enter a world of
improvisation. They have exstensively performed together including festivals
and more intimate chamber music settings. See
"Current live productions"
She has various pieces published for film music through
library companies KPM, Fireworks and West One and is regularly employed
for session work.
She continues to visit the indigenous communities in Brazil and has
set up the Humming Bird Fund (2008) to collect a percentage of royalties
on behalf of the tribal groups integrated in her music.
