Emma Arthur

Emma Arthur is an Irish musicologist with an interest in women’s music-making and art music in nineteenth-century Ireland. She received a first-class honours degree in Music (BMus) from University College Dublin in 2022 and completed her Master of Musicology (MMus) degree in Music and Culture from UCD in 2023.

Her DPhil research, supervised by Professor Laura Tunbridge, aims to uncover how young women in nineteenth-century Ireland interacted with domestic art music (music made in the home). It explores how societal influences such as religion, class and other facets of identity impacted the ways in which music was taught and its significance as a tool for social mobility, marriage and employment.

In addition to her academic studies, Emma is a classically trained soprano and active choral singer. During her four years at UCD she received the UCD Choral Scholarship and in 2023 was awarded the Heinrich Schütz medal for excellence in ensemble vocal performance. During her time with the ensemble, she was involved in several recording projects with Signum Records including the choir’s album ‘Be All Merry’ in 2020. She has also performed in concert and recording with several Irish ensembles including the National Symphony Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, and Crux Vocal Ensemble. Emma currently holds a choral scholarship at Merton College, Oxford.

Emma’s OOC AHRC DTP is co-funded by Merton College and the Clarendon Fund.