About Emma Knights
Hi! This is me; the artist/singer-songwriter, the producer of theatre, the creator of music-based events, the curator, the pianist and accompanist.
I am a freelance musician living in South Australia who has been performing on the piano since my early childhood. My love of music has continued throughout my life. If you want all the juicy details you can check out my LinkedIn page. The basics are I am a graduate of both the Elder Conservatorium and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) with 1st-Class Honours in Bachelor of Music (Popular Music), an Advanced Diploma in Classical Piano Performance and a Diploma in Contemporary Music.
Hometown, Adelaide
I make my career predominantly in my hometown of Adelaide working as a soloist, accompanist (of choirs, improvised theatre, contemporary dance, classical ballet including free work, ISTD ballet syllabus exams, cabaret shows, festivals, instrumentalists and vocalists), an award-winning music director, orchestra pit musician and repetiteur. I currently accompany three groups for Sing Australia, as well as the Birds of a Feather choir, and have been working for both the Catholic Schools Festival of Music and the Primary Schools Festival of Music for many years. I have performed in many restaurants, cafes, cinemas and pubs Australia wide and won an Eisteddfod.
I’ve collaborated with and recorded other artists compositions as well as having my own original music (with a few covers from my cabaret-concerts) available on BandCamp, iTunes, Spotify, Triple J Unearthed and YouTube. My Christmas Pageant song has been performed numerous times at South Australia’s iconic Christmas Pageant! In 2020, I released my debut original pop album, Anticipate. I would love to hear your thoughts!
“The album itself is a perfect reflection of Knights. It is raw and honest and from the heart. It has a wonderful live studio vibe about it, rather than an overly edited sound. There is a real strong connection between the lyrics and the music” Ben Stefanoff (Glam Adelaide).
Roland the Robot in Space Encounters
Not averse to also playing a character, I have been a professional piano playing robot for Opera Queensland’s educational tour of Queensland (and subsequent performances within my own company) and my character in Vintage Vendetta’s Two Dames, a Piano and a Whole Lot of Giggle Water is much-loved. I have also toured nationally and internationally with my one-woman shows (The Piano Men, The Piano Women and Myths, Legends and Fantasy), Vintage Vendetta’s Bailey Dolls and, in 2017, I was an invited accompanist to the International Congress of Vocal Teachers in Sweden. I have worked with the education team at State Opera of South Australia for their vacation care program and educational program launch.
LIVE on 5: Adelaide Fringe
I curated (and co-produced with Chris Daniels Productions) the Adelaide Fringe Hub LIVE on 5 at the Adelaide Oval in 2017 with 7 stages with over 150 acts across 14 days. I also curated the initial year of the Fringe Hub at the National Wine Centre in 2018 selling over 7500 tickets in its first year.
The Piano Men
I have received 5-star reviews for my original one-woman shows and was reviewed in the International Piano Magazine. An article of mine on my research into women and the piano was published in the 2020 International Alliance of Women in Music’s Biannual Journal. I hope to turn my research into a Masters in the future.
Here is a song I wrote in 2018 for my The Piano Men show and my first music video!
And, finally ...
I have produced and performed shows for Out of the Square (Come Together Band and Emma Knights Productions children’s shows) and Something on Saturday with Adelaide Festival Centre (Space Encounters and Tales of Adventure) programs in South Australia.
I have won several awards for my work as a musical director and for Emma Knights Productions creations. Emma Knights Productions was born in 2013 with the vision to create jobs and opportunities for artists in South Australia as well as unique music-based experiences for audiences. It has been a wild ride so far! Read more on the EKP page!
I love working with other musicians on their cabaret shows, on their musicianship and interpretation skills, audition prep, exams and for auditions so please feel free to get in touch through the contact us page. I am also available to hire for weddings (solo piano, piano and voice or party band) and other corporate events. To get in touch click here!
Thank you for visiting, I hope to meet you soon!
Emma
“She accompanies Doherty with sensitivity and the sort of prescience that only fine accompanists ever achieve.”
Pat Wilson
Theatre Critic