Dr. Matthew Emery is an internationally recognized Canadian composer, conductor, and educator whose music has been described as “luminous,” “eloquent,” and “deeply moving.” Currently serving as Assistant Professor of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University, Emery has previously held teaching positions at the University of Toronto, Western University, Carleton University, and Concordia University of Edmonton. His works have been performed in 37 countries across six continents, with a cumulative total of more than 2,000 public performances to date.
Emery’s output includes 76 published choral works with leading international publishers such as Boosey & Hawkes, E.C. Schirmer, GIA Publications, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Hinshaw Music, Alliance Music Publications, Cypress Choral Music, Pavane Publishing, and Hal Leonard. His music appears on 25 commercial compilation recordings and a dedicated solo album, Sing Your Song (Centrediscs, 2017). His works have been broadcast by CBC, NPR, and international classical radio outlets.
A sought-after adjudicator and arts leader, Emery has served on over 20 jury panels for competitions and awards. He holds editorial appointments with Anacrusis (Choral Canada), Dynamic (Choirs Ontario), and the Emmanuel College Music Series (GIA Publications), shaping discourse and repertoire development in the Canadian choral community.
His research and scholarship have appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Anacrusis, Dynamic, and The Choral Journal, covering topics from contrapuntal technique to interviews with contemporary composers, repertoire studies, and reflections on sacred music traditions. In the past eight years, Emery has been the recipient of over $45,000 in external and internal research funding, including grants from the SOCAN Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Toronto Arts Council, supporting both his creative projects and international travel for performances and collaborations.
As an educator, Emery has supervised students at the undergraduate, graduate, and diploma levels, guiding composers in both creative and scholarly contexts. His teaching portfolio spans over a dozen courses in composition, orchestration, counterpoint, songwriting, and popular music analysis, as well as directed readings and graduate research seminars. He is widely respected for his mentorship and his ability to connect technical skill with expressive artistry.
