Emily Dunbar is a versatile freelance trumpeter based in Boston, Massachusetts, originally from Mount Desert Island, Maine. She performs regularly with a variety of ensembles, including the Sultans of Swing, Granite Brass, Roma Band, and the Social Animals Band, which she co-founded. Emily is also an active pit musician, having played in productions with The Portland Players, Kittery Star Theater, Lincoln County Theater, and others. In addition to performing, she works as the Concert Manager for the Brockton Symphony Orchestra.

Emily earned her Master’s degree in Music Performance from McGill University in 2020, graduating summa cum laude. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance with a minor in Education from the University of Southern Maine. While at McGill, she worked as a trumpet assistant to Richard Stoelzel, leading warm-up classes for undergraduate performance majors and teaching private lessons. She also taught a piano accompaniment course at Marianopolis College in Montreal.

Emily enjoys working with young musicians and has coached students at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. She interned at Camp Overture at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, helping high schoolers learn the ropes of pit orchestra playing. She has also volunteered with the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s instrument petting zoo, introducing children to brass instruments in a hands-on, approachable way.

Her festival experience includes the Domaine Forget International Music and Dance Academy (Québec, 2019) and several years at Bar Harbor Brass Week (Maine, 2008–2013), where she studied with artists like Chris Martin, Wayne du Maine, and Douglas Prosser. She’s also performed in masterclasses with Joseph Foley, Chris Gekker, Sergei Nakariakov, and Philippe Schartz.