Born in Surprise, Arizona, to a musical family, Emma Potter began playing violin in the third grade and French Horn in the fourth grade. Emma is now enjoying a vibrant music career performing with a wide range of ensembles.
Recently appointed Principal Horn of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Emma has performed in a variety of musical settings from church ensembles to chamber orchestras, musical theater pits, jazz bands, brass and woodwind quintets. In 2019, Emma was appointed principal horn of the New York Youth Symphony, a position she held until she completed her music studies in New York. She took part in a Grammy winning album produced in 2020 featuring world premieres and works from under-represented composers such as Florence Price, Valerie Coleman, and Jessie Montgomery. In 2024 Emma won Principal Horn of the Madison Symphony Orchestra as well.
In 2022, Emma made her solo debut with the Northern Neck Orchestra under the direction of Michael Repper performing Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4 and in 2025 performed the third movement again with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. She was a finalist in the Rice University Shepherd School of Music Concerto competition and has played with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, New York Chamber Music Society, and Boise Philharmonic. Her tour with the Seraph Brass Quintet featured performances in Philadelphia and New York.
Emma has had the opportunity to collaborate with amazing musicians all over the world, including Robert Johnson, Michelle Baker, John DeMain, Andrew Bain, and Steven Moechel. In addition, she has performed in top performance venues such as Carnegie hall, Jones Hall, and the Ozawa Concert Hall. Memorable performances include Sibelius 2, Scheherazade, Tchaikovsky 5th Symphony, and Alpine Symphony.
Emma’s outreach activities have included individual educational performances in coffee shops, house concerts, and retirement centers. These solo performances have featured Elizabeth Raum’s Concerto for Horn, Catherine Lakuthia’s I Threw a Shoe at a Cat, and excerpts from Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4. Collaborative outreach performances have included Eric Ewazen’s Pastorale, James Naigus’s Spectra, as well as various duets for mezzo soprano and horn, and small popular holiday medleys.
Emma received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Michelle Baker and graduated with a Masters of Music in Horn Performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
