Emily Pinkerton

Genre: Folk
Secondary Genre: Americana Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA Contact

Evocative, joyful and firmly rooted in folk traditions, Emily's music is a moving synthesis of North & South American cultures, and an invitation to explore the emotional and artistic resonances between them.

Artist Information

Biography

Growing up in Valparaiso, Indiana, Emily Pinkerton never imagined that the center of her musical world would move to Valparaiso, Chile, and set her on a path to performing music of the Andes. “Ends of the Earth,” her third release, takes listeners on a journey through the rich traditions of the Andes and Appalachians in a passionate collection of powerful folk songs. Drawn from opposite ends of the earth, these songs feel right at home together in the caring and capable hands of Emily's band.  Sinuous melodies and tightly woven rhythms on guitar, banjo, fiddle, bass and cajón resonate together in the natural acoustics of the sanctuary where the album was recorded.

During three years in South America, Emily studied with master musicians Alfonso Rubio and Chosto Ulloa, learning the traditions of Chilean "canto a lo poeta." The soaring melodies of this song style permeate her latest work: “Even when writing in English, I gravitate towards the rhythms I learned there. I love how it feels to sing the high, arching melodies of Chilean canto, and I think you can sense this in my album, whether the tune is an Old-Time reel or a South American tonada.”

Emily has toured North and South America, appearing at venues such as SXSW (TX), Sala América (Chile), Kamikaze (Peru), and Makor (NY), sharing the stage with Alejandro Escovedo, Stacy Phillips, and the Chieftains. She is shaping an ever-growing audience for her music, winning the City Paper readers’ poll as one of the top three acoustic acts in Pittsburgh, where she now lives. She performs solo and with her trio, featuring bassist Layo Puentes, cajón player Lucas Savage and guitarist Daniel Marcus.

In 2010, Emily was selected to be part of the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPAT) Roster. Partial funding may be available to support performance engagements in Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands. Visit pennpat.org for details on grants and fee support.


"The best of two cultures and songwriting styles."
NUVO

"Affecting and poignant--a different kind of high lonesome..."
Sing Out!

"An eminent performer, she represents Chilean music with precision and respect."
Micaela Navarrete, National Library of Chile

"One of the best PittArts programs we've had yet."
Kathryn Heidemann, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

"At times her voice is the epitome of loneliness, and at others, a portal for the familiarity that only home can bring."
The Santiago Times





Instrumentation

Emily Pinkerton - Banjo, Guitar, voice
Layo Puentes - Upright Bass
Lucas Savage - Cajon
Daniel Marcus - Guitar

Discography

Emily Pinkerton, Ends of the Earth, Green Jeans Records 2012
Emily Pinkerton, Valparaiso, Green Jeans Records 2008
Emily Pinkerton, EP, Green Jeans Records 2004
Divahn, Mizrocky Records, 2002
Trillium, 1998

Official Website

http://www.emilypinkerton.com

Links

Audio

Lyrics

Video

Emily and Trio, Live at the Rex

Negra

Photo Gallery

Press

  • Emily Pinkerton: Alt-Country from Appalachia to the Andes [+ Show ]

    For a Pittsburgh, Penn.-based adjunct music instructor raised in Valparaiso, Ind., the connections b...

  • Pinkerton's touch of Baez, taste of Chile [+ Show ]

    Emily Pinkerton studied ethnomusicology at the University of Texas and spent time living in Chile to...

  • Emily Pinkerton blends old-time and Chilean music on her album "Valparaiso" [+ Show ]

    The title of "singer-songwriter" doesn't sit well with Emily Pinkerton, and it's easy to understand ...

  • Emily Pinkerton [+ Show ]

    It's hard not to be enchanted with Emily Pinkerton's music when it takes you from the North American...

  • Pinkerton blends north, south flavors for debut disc [+ Show ]

    Emily Pinkerton grew up in Valparaiso, Ind. Later, she would spend time in Valparaiso, Chile. No ...

  • Emily Pinkerton [+ Show ]

    When you hear local songwriter and ethnomusicologist Emily Pinkerton sing, a sense of nostalgia inva...

  • Acoustic guitarist embraces Chilean rhythms [+ Show ]

    While she was an exchange student in Chile 10 years ago, Emily Pinkerton was introduced to the music...

  • Sunday evening [+ Show ]

    “But as impressive as Pinkerton's musical dexterity is--she plays guitar, banjo and violin expertly-...

  • CD review (Divahn)

    “Affecting and poignant—a different kind of high lonesome…”

  • Bringing it all back home [+ Show ]

    Songwriter, performer, multi-instrumentalist and ethnomusicologist Emily Pinkerton is looking forwar...

  • National Library of Chile

    An eminent performer, she represents Chilean music with precision and respect.

  • The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

    One of the best PittArts programs we've had yet.

Setlist

40-60 minutes of original and traditional songs in English and Spanish. If requested, we can also perform sets completely in Spanish.

Calendar

DateTimeVenueCity
Sep 15, 2013 Sunday 12:00 PM Adams County Heritage Festival Gettysburg, PA, US
Oct 5, 2013 Saturday 7:30 PM Bellefield Hall Pittsburgh, PA, US
Nov 1, 2013 Friday TBA Adams County Arts Council Education Center Gettysburg, PA, US