Overview
Emma began her career working at ENO as a Staff Director. She later went on to direct the world premiere of Mark Anthony Turnage’s The Country of the Blind for ENO, which was performed at the Aldeburgh Festival and Queen Elizabeth Hall. Between 2017 and 2025 she directed National Opera Studio residencies at WNO, Scottish Opera and ENO. In 2023 she directed Daphne for Scottish Opera.
Emma’s credits as a librettist include: In Parenthesis (composed by Iain Bell, 2016), Rhondda Rips it Up! (composed by Elena Langer, 2018), both for WNO; Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel (composed by Iain Bell, ENO, 2019); Song of the Heartland (composed by Will Todd, Opera North, 2020). She was also co-translator for the UK premiere of Philip Glass’s Orphée (ENO, 2019) and wrote Blaze of Glory! (composer: David Hackbridge Johnson, WNO, 2023), which was nominated for both a UK Theatre Award and International Opera Award.
In May 2023, Emma wrote and presented a three-part radio series about the history of the libretto called The Little Book which aired on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds. Her libretti for the short operas Told by an Idiot and In Flagrante (composed by Toby Hession) were also performed by Scottish Opera as part of their 2022/23 Opera Highlights Tour.
Most recently, Emma wrote the libretto for A Matter of Misconduct! (composed by Toby Hession, Scottish Opera, 2025) which was subsequently made into a film for Opera Vision and was nominated for a UK Theatre Award. She is currently writing the libretto for a major new opera to be performed in 2028.
