A current resident of Chicago, Emily Hancock joined the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra as Principal Clarinet in 2021.
She recently completed her Master’s degree at DePaul University where she studied clarinet performance with Stephen Williamson, principal clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She received her Bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance from Oberlin Conservatory where she studied with Richard Hawkins. Emily is an avid orchestral performer –– besides playing in the Dubuque Symphony, she has also played as a substitute in the clarinet sections of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and with the Florentine Opera. She has also attended several summer music festivals, including Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Roundtop Festival Institute, and Eastern Music Festival.
Emily appears in the third episode of season three of Now Hear This, the PBS travel series hosted by acclaimed violinist Scott Yoo which focuses on the histories and stories of classical composers. The third episode features the music and backstory of Aaron Copland and was filmed during the 2021 Colorado College Summer Music Festival. You can also hear Emily on Spotify and Apple Music performing with the Oberlin Orchestra in a recording of Jesse Jones’ “Innumerable Stars, Scattered in Clusters.”
As a student at Oberlin, Emily co-founded the organization Oberlin Students for Gender Inclusivity in Music (OSGIM) whose purpose is to celebrate women, transgender, and non-binary classical and contemporary musicians and composers through the organization of recitals, talks, and other events. OSGIM sponsored an Oberlin Winter Term orchestra and choir in January 2020 that performed exclusively music by women and transgender composers. She has continued to pursue a passion for inclusivity in classical music by performing as a member of the National Women’s Music Festival Orchestra since 2023, as well as fostering a commitment to programming works of composers with diverse identities in her own recital programs.
When she is not playing the clarinet, you can find Emily watching opera, playing Dungeons and Dragons, or eating her daily bagel.
