Emily Doolittle’s music has been described as “eloquent and effective” (The WholeNote), “masterful” (Musical Toronto), and “the piece…that grabbed me by the heart” (The WholeNote). Doolittle has been commissioned by such ensembles as Orchestre Métropolitain, Tafelmusik, Symphony Nova Scotia, and Ensemble Contemporain de Montreal, and supported by the Sorel Organization, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Fulbright Foundation, among others.
Recent projects include Seal Songs, a 30-minute piece based on Gaelic selkie folklore, commissioned by Paragon and the Voice Factory Youth Choir (Glasgow), a concerto for violinist Calvin Dyck and the Vancouver Island Symphony, and five months as composer-in-residence at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen, Germany. Originally from Nova Scotia, Doolittle was educated at Dalhousie University, Indiana University, the Koninklijk Conservatorium, and Princeton. From 2008-2015 she was on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She now lives in Glasgow, Scotland.