EMI FERGUSON. Flutist, Writer, Singer, Composer

Jun 13

Emi Ferguson has many legs to stand on: a busy concert schedule as a flutist, albums recorded, being a faculty member of The Julliard School, and now releasing a book co-authored with Nicholas Csicsko.

Is there room for more books about composers? Yes. 'Iconic Composers' is not just child friendly, but it sticks out in the way that it features lesser known female composers and composers of different skin colors.

In addition, each of the 50 composers is illustrated by David Lee Csicsko.

Boiling down countless hours of research into 250 words per composer was quite a challenge, but the authors found a useful approach:

How can we make people excited enough to go and learn even more about them?

Emi's love for research on composers is contagious. Throughout her research she has come across plenty of biases and censorship. How can she trust a source at all? -is my question.

It's hard to separate the myth of the person from who the person was, and I'm not sure we ever will be able to. What we can do is to get to the spirit of what they were trying to do, she replies.

If you, like me, find research do be rather overwhelming, you might appreciate Emi's take on it:

I think that distraction is a good thing. I've always followed the distractions because what's the worst that can happen? -That you learn something cool.

I don't know about you, but after my interview with Emi I felt inspired to find a wormhole on the internet and learn something cool.

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[00:00] 'Prelude in C Major' by Emi Ferguson, from the album 'Fly the Coop'

[04:12] Meet Emi Ferguson

[13:13] You might not have discovered your favourite composer yet! On the book 'Iconic Composers'

[21:55] How can you trust what you're reading?

[30:37] Emi's love for composers is contagious

[34:52] 'Mignonne' from the album 'Amour Cruel'

[38:10] 'this composer is SICK!' - a WQXR podcast series about composers and syphilis

[45:10] You can be a historian

[52:48] The best job, New York, TedX and sleep

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