Emily Thornton is a Birrbay-Dunghutti historical and experimental flutist, writer, editor, and arts practitioner whose work centres cultural revitalisation, storytelling, and connection to Country. Based on Gadigal Country in Sydney, Emily’s creative and research practices explore decolonial approaches to music, performance, and cultural institutions, with a particular focus on reimagining Western classical traditions through Indigenous and community-led perspectives.

Emily is currently undertaking a Master of Musicology (Research) at the University of Sydney, following a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Criminology at the Australian National University. Her research examines the intersections between decolonial musicking and historically informed performance, investigating how early European repertoires can be reconsidered within contemporary Australian contexts. Her practice is informed by interdisciplinary approaches spanning musicology, performance, Indigenous studies, and cultural criticism.

As a flutist, Emily works across historical performance, contemporary experimental music, orchestral, chamber, and solo practice. She has performed with leading Australian ensembles and festivals, including the Canberra Symphony Orchestra programs, Australian Art Orchestra programs, Canberra International Music Festival, National Folk Festival, and SongRoads Intercultural Ensemble. Her practice has been shaped through international and national residencies and mentorships, including the Australian Art Orchestra’s Australian Improvisers’ Practicum and Creative Music Intensive Residency in Indonesia, the Young Mannheim Symphonists National HIP Academy with the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, Flutes in Tuscany Young Artist Residency, and Renaissance flute studies at the Longy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Emily is deeply committed to community-engaged arts practice and music education. With more than ten years of teaching and facilitation experience, she has worked across private tuition, schools, community programs, and cultural initiatives, including as Engagement and Impact Officer of Indigenous Programs at the Australian National University and Education and Museum Officer at the Aboriginal Heritage Office, Northern Beaches Council. Her work prioritises accessible, culturally responsive learning environments that foster creativity, confidence, and connection.

Alongside her performance practice, Emily is an arts and culture journalist and editor contributing Indigenous perspectives to Australia’s cultural discourse. Her writing has appeared in publications including Limelight Magazine, National Indigenous Times, Canberra City News, Splinter Journal, and Southerly. Her journalism explores questions of representation, cultural ownership, colonial legacies, and ethical transformation within Australian arts institutions, including her feature “Decolonising the Orchestra” for Limelight.

Emily is also an emerging literary writer whose creative practice spans poetry, narrative, and song. Her writing explores language, memory, Country, and cultural continuity, including works written and performed in her ancestral language as part of an ongoing commitment to language revitalisation and intergenerational knowledge sharing. She is the recipient of the 2027 Penguin Random House Varuna Fellowship for Unpublished Writers and received an Honourable Mention in the 2026 Magabala Books Pride Fellowship.

Emily’s multidisciplinary practice is grounded in relationality, accountability, and care. Through music, writing, research, and community collaboration, she seeks to create spaces where Indigenous knowledge systems, experimental practice, and diverse artistic traditions can meet and transform contemporary cultural landscapes.

Professional Experience:

• Education and Museum Officer, Aboriginal Heritage Office, Northern Beaches Council (2026–present)
• Conductor, Elanora Heights Primary School Band (2026–present)
• Engagement and Impact Officer, Indigenous Programs, Australian National University (2025)
• Kingsland Fellow, Canberra Symphony Orchestra (2025)
• Music Journalist and Editor (freelance), including Limelight Magazine, National Indigenous Times, and Canberra City News (2023–present)
• Criminal Law Paralegal, Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT (2024–2025)
• Surf Lifesaving and State Emergency Service Volunteer (2015–2026)

Selected Awards, Fellowships and Residencies:

• Penguin Random House Varuna Fellowship for Unpublished Writers (2027)
• Magabala Books Pride Fellowship Honourable Mention (2026)
• Friends of the ANU School of Music Performance Scholarship (2023–2026)
• Flutes in Tuscany Young Artist Scholarship (2025)
• ACT Government Youth InterACT Scholar (2025)
• Creative Music Intensive Residency, Australian Art Orchestra, Indonesia (2026)
• Australian Improvisers’ Practicum, Australian Art Orchestra (2025)
• Young Mannheim Symphonists National HIP Academy, Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra (2025)

Photo by Ari Schlumpp