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Updated 11/10/2022

Emily Isaacson

  • M

    ME

Institution/Business Type: Artist / Creative (Individual)

Dr. Emily Isaacson is fiercely committed to reimagining classical music for today’s audience. She is founder and artistic director of Classical Uprising, a performing arts collective that believes classical music must rise up, challenge current norms, and re-envision where, how, and for whom we are making music. Classical Uprising serves over 6,000 musicians and music-lovers through its programs Oratorio Chorale, a symphonic chorus and professional orchestra, Portland Bach Experience, a series of immersive music festivals, and Horizon Voices, a youth choral program for singers K-12. One of only a handful of female conductors (and moms) in the country, Isaacson’s productions are designed to cultivate community, nurture individual growth, and feed our hunger for connections.  

Isaacson was named the 2018 Maine Artist of the Year by the Maine Arts Commission, one of 50 Mainers Leading the State by Maine Magazine, and the 2018 face of Maine’s Women’s Work. In 2008 Isaacson helped to launch Roomful of Teeth, a GRAMMY-winning new vocal music ensemble, and in 2015 and 2018 (2022 pending) won third place in the American Prize in Choral Conducting. 

She has taught at Clark University, Bowdoin College, and the University of Illinois. A St. Andrews Society Scholar, Isaacson holds a masters degree in musicology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland; a masters degree in conducting from the University of Oregon; and a doctorate in conducting from the University of Illinois. She lives in Portland, ME with her husband, daughter, and son. Isaacson belongs to Beyond Artists, a coalition of artists that donates a percentage of their concert fees to organizations they care about. She supports the Natural Resources Council of Maine and Alight Humanitarian Relief through her performances.

 

Find Me

Emily Isaacson (she/her)
Job Title: Conductor, Artistic Director, Producer
Phone: 2075226533
Address:
9 Taylor St.
Portland, ME 04102

Social Media:

Additional Content:

  • What Binds Us Together

    An interdisciplinary, interfaith look at the Binding of Isaac story in Visual Art, Literature, and Music. A multimedia concert exploring the connections between Judaism, Christianity and Islam through the relationship of Abraham and Isaac.

  • Amazing Grace: The American Spiritual

    Part multimedia concert, part community event, Amazing Grace is a customized artistic experience tracing the history of Black spirituals from Pre-Emancipation to the Black Lives Matter movement using visual art, music, prose, and poetry.

  • Nutcracker Experience

    Called the “ideal orchestra concert for young children,” the Nutcracker Experience is an immersive concert for the whole family: part-concert, part-dance-party, part-community celebration

  • Thanks In Variations

    Thanks in Variations is a personally branded smartphone app and sound installation featuring recorded voices strategically “staged” in geoshapes so that the sounds overlap, intensify, fade, and layers.

  • Radio & Podcast Interviews

  • Television Interviews

  • Conducting Her Way Back Home

About

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Artist / Creative (Individual)

Legal Status:

Commercial / For profit - Sole proprietorship

Year Founded:

2010

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Artist / Creative (Individual)

Legal Status:

Commercial / For profit - Sole proprietorship

Year Founded:

2010

Disciplines

Primary Discipline:

Music - General

Additional Disciplines:

  • Music - Choral

Activities and Services

Activities and Services:

  • Arts Criticism / Journalism
  • Arts for Social Change / Creative Activism
  • Cultural Preservation
  • Creation of a Work of Art (Including Commissions)
  • Public Art Projects (In Free, Public Spaces)
  • Residency - Other
  • Arts Instruction / Lessons
  • Cultural Education
  • Residency - In School
  • Workshops / Demonstrations / Master Class
  • Consulting - Curatorial Services
  • Consulting - Organizational Capacity
  • Portfolio Review
  • Performance / Concert / Reading
  • Professional Network Gatherings / Events
  • Residency - Community
  • Virtual Events
  • Community Arts
Seasons Active: winter, spring, summer, fall
Events Per Year: 50

Communities

Populations Engaged:

  • Adults
  • Businesses
  • Families
  • General Public
  • LGBTQ Populations
  • School Groups
  • Teens
  • Nonprofits

Languages Available:

  • English

Geographic Reach:

  • Town / City
  • County
  • Multi-County Region
  • State
  • Multi-State Region
  • National
  • International

Accessibility of Services

Accessibility of Services:

  • Access accommodations for people who use a wheelchair and have limited mobility
  • Access accommodations for people who are blind, partially sighted, and have low vision
  • Access accommodations for people who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing

Media Gallery

I Have Worked With

Affiliations and Accomplishments

Awards

Awards:

  • Maine Artist of the Year • Maine Arts Commission
  • 50 Mainers Leading the State • Maine Magazine and State 23 Media
  • Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting • Finalist, award-pending - national award in the performing arts
  • Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music • Finalist, award-pending - national award in the performing arts
  • Women’s Work • Maine Women Magazine
  • St. Andrews Society Scholar • One of two U.S. citizens selected for full graduate scholarship for study in Scotland

Awards

Awards:

  • Maine Artist of the Year • Maine Arts Commission
  • 50 Mainers Leading the State • Maine Magazine and State 23 Media
  • Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting • Finalist, award-pending - national award in the performing arts
  • Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music • Finalist, award-pending - national award in the performing arts
  • Women’s Work • Maine Women Magazine
  • St. Andrews Society Scholar • One of two U.S. citizens selected for full graduate scholarship for study in Scotland

Education

Education:

  • Doctorate of Musical Arts, Conducting • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • Masters of Music, Conducting • University of Oregon
  • Masters of Musicology • University of Edinburgh
  • Bachelor of Arts • Williams College

Artist Info

Teaching Artist

Teaching Settings:

  • Afterschool Program
  • Arts and Cultural Center / Venue
  • Community Site / Center
  • Corporate Business
  • Private Studio
  • School / University

Ages Served:

  • Pre-Kindergarten-age
  • Elementary School-age
  • Middle School-age
  • High School-age
  • College-age
  • Adults
  • Seniors

Subject Areas:

  • Arts Integration - Communications
  • Arts Integration - History and Social Science
  • Music
  • Literature
  • Theater

Teaching Artist

Teaching Settings:

  • Afterschool Program
  • Arts and Cultural Center / Venue
  • Community Site / Center
  • Corporate Business
  • Private Studio
  • School / University

Ages Served:

  • Pre-Kindergarten-age
  • Elementary School-age
  • Middle School-age
  • High School-age
  • College-age
  • Adults
  • Seniors

Subject Areas:

  • Arts Integration - Communications
  • Arts Integration - History and Social Science
  • Music
  • Literature
  • Theater

Touring Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • Piano
  • Music stands

Fee Range:

$2,000-$20,000

State of Residence:

Maine

Minimum Number of Performers:

1

Maximum Number of Performers:

1