Emma Kirkby feels lucky in many ways:  that she met renaissance vocal polyphony while still at school, that she studied Classics at Somerville College and sang with the Schola Cantorum of Oxford, and, best of all, that there she encountered “historical” instruments known to Renaissance and Baroque composers- the lute, harpsichord, and wind and string instruments whose sound and human scale drew from her an instinctive response. Within a few years she found herself invited to perform professionally with pioneer groups; and long partnerships followed with British and international ensembles, individual players, and record companies, so that now Emma’s voice and style are recognized worldwide. 

Alongside the obvious repertoire, - Bach, Purcell, Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Haydn - two vital threads through her career have been lute songs and vocal consort music, both explored over decades with various colleagues; with Jakob Lindberg Emma has given recitals and classes worldwide over nearly two decades, and as a member of Anthony Rooley’s Consort of Musicke, she took part in performances, recordings and workshops in many countries. Most recently Emma has enjoyed exploring new areas within her fach, especially with colleagues in Graz. 2017 saw “Musica Fugit” at the Utrecht Festival, an extraordinary collaboration with “Kamchatka” actors from Barcelona, and in 2018 in Köln, the director of “Fugit”, Adriaan Schwarzstein, brought his particular genius to Locke and Gibbons’s “Cupid and Death”, for which Emma was delighted to reprise, after 30 years, the role of Mother Nature!

Over the years, she has taught at “historical” chamber music courses in many countries, where she values especially coaching young singers in ideal conditions, with the “right” instrumental forces and in glorious acoustics, all vital factors working their magic in those places, just as they did for her at the outset.  

It is now a joy for her to see the enthusiasm, expertise and commitment of so many younger colleagues. Emma’s favourite periods and especially beloved composers, Dowland, Danyel, Lawes, Purcell, Marenzio, Monteverdi, Strozzi, and all the rest, are now being honoured with the knowledge and skill that they deserve, by versatile singers who at one moment can deliver characterful and virtuosic solos, and at others form part of equally impassioned duets, trios or vocal consorts. Above all Emma is delighted to hear the all-important lyrics ( which Thomas Campion described as “the lively soul of music”)  increasingly cherished and clearly projected.  Singing has always been a vital form of storytelling, and it is wonderful to see it still in such good shape.              

“..here, as throughout the recital, we are given nothing less than a consummate demonstration of the art of Emma Kirkby; perfect intonation and sense of line, impeccable phrasing and diction, an unrivalled ability to nuance and color a phrase or even a word….At the outset I wrote of the autumn of Kirkby’s career. I was wrong. On the evidence of this beautifully engineered disc, it is still in high summer..”  — Fanfare

“Grace was also a defining feature of Emma Kirkby’s performance. Her singing radiates lightness, clarity and precision.” — Sydney Morning Herald

“..Emma Kirkby sang these demanding works with exquisite tact. The voice is bell-like with clear articulation while her legato is absolutely unwavering. She is a true classicist. Musical structure is strictly observed through which the emotion is allowed to seep….If we could hear one of Fra Angelico’s angels singing, this is what it would sound like.” — The Age, Melbourne

“.. the singers were headed by the noted Emma Kirkby, whose small but clear English-rose soprano seems to remain perennially in bloom.” —  Globe and Mail, Toronto

“Kirkby’s voice was at once hugely expressive and yet direct and unfussy, making this a performance that transcended mere entertainment and aspired to the Baroque ideal of moving the affections.”  

— Irish Times

“Emma Kirkby’s bright radiance” — The Times

“Emma Kirkby - pure of voice and technically immaculate” — The Independent

“If you attend a recital by a noted singer such as Dame Emma Kirkby, a superb level of virtuosity and musicianship would be expected; what was truly amazing about her recital ‘The English Muse’ was that this expectation still did not prepare the audience for what was a stunning display of artistry and skill…In all of these songs, Dame Emma’s clarity and purity of tone coupled with a faultless diction made for utterly compelling listening; in addition, the songs were delivered with a sparkling wit and warmth clearly embedded within the music but often not convincingly delivered by other performers…And what was made very apparent last night was that Dame Emma is still at the forefront of early Music singing and rightly deserving of her international reputation as one of the world’s leading singers. — Somerset County Gazette

“Kirkby’s recital was like that small film you cherish while everyone else is whooping up the latest explosion fest.  Her art is gentle and charming, and it wears its virtuosity demurely.  But make no mistake, the artistry is there.  Is a description needed of the voice that has graced over a hundred recordings?  Suffice it to say that it was at its best Wednesday, silken and agile, chirping, wafer-thin in soft passages, vibrantly glowing in loud.”

— Los Angeles Times

“Emma Kirkby was, of course, outstanding, delicately pointing up key words and colouring the vocal line with gentle inflection and relaxed ornamention, often Italianate in style.” — Early Music Review

“She was called Emma long before everybody else was; she sang early music with That Voice before anyone else quite got the hang of it.  Emma Kirkby: the great original…And the voice seems eternal.  It has been most carefully nourished and nurtured; but that is not to say that Kirkby no longer takes risks.  Her programme…challenged audience and performers alike…consummate command of pacing, of the breath and nerve system of both word and note, and of the finest nuances of half-voice.”  — The Times

“Kirkby’s light, pure voice was ideally suited to this music and she excelled in capturing the pathos and beauty of these sad reflections.  With infinite breath control, she shaped her phrases with each moment of hope and despair, and reached a pianissimo rarely achieved by singers.” — Early Music Today

“Plenty of vocalists can be emotional and sob in tune, but it takes someone special to transform the practices within their field, to command a repertory covering a thousand years of music, to excel at ensemble as well as solo performance, and to have influenced a generation of singers.” — BBC Music Magazine

“Emma Kirkby sang an aria from the Cantata 199, Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut. Her voice was centered and radiant as always.” — The Ottawa Citizen

“She did not merely perform the baroque repertoire, she inhabited it with every fragment of her body and her soul, expressing the poignant melodies with supple grace and an infinite flexibility…Every breath and every note served both the story and the song, and Emma Kirkby’s particular magic was to make it all sound effortless.”

— The Argus

"...the incomparable beauty of her singing is layered with a lifetime of nuance; every presentation provides a lesson in how these songs can be delivered." — Wholenote Magazine        

“British soprano and early music icon Emma Kirkby’s performance of Italian, French and English Baroque lute songs, alongside lutenist Jakob Lindberg, was as delicate as it was detailed.”

— Sydney Morning Herald