A violinist praised as playing “gorgeously” and with “gracefulness and easy rapport” (The Boston Globe) Emily Daggett Smith is emerging as one of the most compelling artists of her generation. Her recital and chamber music performances have taken her across the United States, Europe, South America and Asia, and she has been described as playing with a “very beautiful tone” (The Gathering Note) and “irrepressible élan” (The Seattle Times).

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Smith performs regularly at numerous festivals and series around the country such as the Concordia Chamber Ensemble, Festival Mozaic, Lenape Chamber Ensemble, Mainly Mozart Festival, Ravinia’s Steans Institute, and the Seattle Chamber Music Society.  She has shared the stage with many renowned musicians including current and former members of the Cleveland, Emerson and Juilliard String Quartets, as well as pianists Claude Frank, Joseph Kalichstein, and Gilbert Kalish.  Her performances have taken place at some of the world’s greatest halls including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Shanghai Grand Theatre and the Vienna Konzerthaus, and have been featured on PBS’s national broadcast Live from Lincoln Center, NPR’s From the Top, Classical King FM in Seattle and WWFM The Classical Network in New York and Pennsylvania.  

As a soloist, Ms. Smith made her New York concerto debut at the age of 21 in Alice Tully Hall, playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra and conductor Emmanuel Villaume.  Since then she has performed concerti with many orchestras including Iris Orchestra, Festival Mozaic Orchestra, New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Classical Players.  Growing up in the Boston area, she has also appeared as soloist with various orchestras in New England including a performance at the Hatch Shell in Boston as part of the Landmark Orchestra Series.  As a concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra she has worked with many renowned conductors including Michael Tilson-Thomas, Leonard Slatkin and Nicholas McGegan.

In addition to performing the masterpieces of the 17th through the 20th century, Emily is also a strong advocate of new music. She has premiered dozens of new works, including the world premiere of Dan Visconti’s Silvertone which was commissioned for her debut recital in Chicago at the Music in the Loft series.  As the founding first violinist of the Tessera Quartet, she has worked closely with composer and pianist Lowell Liebermann, performing his Piano Quintet with the composer at the piano, and has recorded a world-premiere album of Harold Brown’s complete works for String Quartet on Albany Records. She is currently working on performance practice research on Kaija Saariaho’s Graal Théâtre (1994).

Despite her busy performance schedule, Emily is dedicated to education and maintains various teaching and outreach activities. She served on the Violin faculty of the undergraduate department of Stony Brook University and has given masterclasses and educational outreach performances wherever her violin takes her.  One of the most rewarding musical experiences of her life was teaching, giving masterclasses, and performing with young musicians in the la Red music program in Medellin, Colombia over two consecutive years.  Her teaching style is one that blends and deepens the traditions of her great teachers Soovin Kim, Joel Smirnoff, Laurie Smukler, Masuko Ushioda, and Donald Weilerstein, with a deep understanding of what it takes to be a well-rounded musician in the 21st century.

Ms. Smith has received numerous awards and scholarships.  She is a winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition, the SYLFF Fellowship, the Brockton, Newton and Waltham Symphony Concerto Competitions, and the Gold Medal at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition in the junior division.  Ms. Smith holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School, and as a recipient of the prestigious Staller Scholar Award, she is in the final stages of the Doctor of Music and Arts degree at Stony Brook University.  She plays on a Johannes Cuypers violin and a Vuillaume bow, both generously donated by Dr. Marylou Witz.