Emily Orr

I was born and raised in the Schenectady area and attended Scotia-Glenville High School.  While growing up in the Capital Region, I studied flute privately, was a member of the Empire State Youth Orchestra, and attended the NYSSSA School of Orchestral Studies. These experiences have stayed with me for a lifetime, and have inspired my teaching and performing over the last few decades.

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After high school, I attended the State University of New York College at Fredonia, where I completed the Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance, Performer's Certificate, and NY State Teaching Licensure (Music K-12). After graduation, I taught public school music in Chautauqua County. For graduate studies, I earned the Master of Music degree at West Virginia University, where I taught courses in Music Theory and Music Education. It was here that Opus Four Flute Quartet was formed.  You can hear some live recordings from our tour of the Northeastern United States on the Listen page.

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While studying at WVU, I was appointed to a teaching position at the North Carolina Governor's School, a summer program for academically gifted high school students.  I continued my position at the North Carolina Governor's School for the next 15 years.

I completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where I taught applied flute lessons and courses in Music Education. 

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While attending UNCG, I was the recipient of the school's "Outstanding Graduate Student" award, was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda (National Music Honor Society) and was a winner of the School of Music's concerto competition. You can hear some of that performance on the Listen page.