MAGNER HURLEY, Emily

Emily Magner Hurley was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1983. Holding a masters degree in composition from University College Cork, she is a composer, performer, coloratura soprano, songwriter and orchestrator. In conjunction with Culture Night 2018, she conducted a performance in St. Mary’s Dominican Church, of fifteen years worth of her sacred choral music. She released her debut solo piano album Airs & Graces making its debut on Culture Night in 2020. The album has gone on to become album of the week twice on Raidió na Gaeltachta, and it has been heard many times on Lyric FM, US Radio and on C103. It is a collection of 17 original pieces that combine her twin loves of traditional Irish and Classical music. Many of these pieces bare witness to the strong influence that the melodic and harmonic styles of Ó Carolan, Ó Riada, Whelan and Ó Súilleabháin have had on Emily’s musical education. She has held online concerts in aid of Saint Vincent de Paul and for the Cork County Council Bealtaine festival, where she performed pieces from her album, and sang her original songs. For four years, 2011 to 2015, she was a composer in residence with the Cork International Choral Festival. Her work as a musician includes music teaching at second and third level, librarianship at the Association of Irish Choirs and composition of piano, choral, chamber and orchestral music. Most recently, she was vocally trained by world-renowned soprano, Majella Cullagh. She returned to UCC to record with fellow alumni of the UCC School of Music. Her current interest is writing music for film and television, being represented by Avant Music Port (Dublin). She is presently recording an acappella vocal album of original songs in the Irish language and arrangements of traditional “Sean-Nós” songs.