Clarinetist Emily Kerski is a member of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” and a dedicated freelance performer and teacher. Since joining the Army Band in 2019, she has performed throughout the region with the Northern Neck Orchestra, Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, and Virginia Grand Military Band. In addition to her passion for collaborative ensemble work, Emily enjoys serving as a church musician and teaching her private clarinet studio. A longtime active member of the International Clarinet Association, she currently serves as associate editor of The Clarinet quarterly journal.
Prior to her Army Band appointment, Emily was a faculty member of The People’s Music School, the DePaul Community Music Division, and an associate member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She was also a founding faculty member of the Junior Lift Clarinet Academy (Fort Collins, Colorado).
Emily earned a Master of Music degree with distinction from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Music summa cum laude at Colorado State University, studying with Julie DeRoche, Larry Combs, and Wesley Ferreira. She completed additional studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Angela Malsbury. During her year in London, she performed with the All Souls Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall and throughout the UK on their 2015 tour. An avid proponent of contemporary music, she performed as a Sinfonia Fellow at the 2017 soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange in Maccagno, Italy, and co-founded the Modern Reeds contemporary recital series in Chicago, dedicated to the promotion and performance of chamber repertoire by emerging composers.