Carol Emanuel is one of New York's leading contemporary harpists. Her music encompasses Western classical music, new music, jazz and Afro-Brazilian idioms, which she combines in her improvisations. After earning degrees from the University of Rochester and the California Institute of the Arts, she worked with Ran Blake and Gunther Schuller at New England Conservatory in the Third Stream Department. Ms Emanuel was a featured artist in "Women in Improvisation" at PS 122, and her group "Verde" performed her compositions at "The Kitchen."

Her theatrical credits include: Martha Clarke's "Vienna:Lusthaus" and Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. She performed in John Zorn's "Track and Field" at the Kool Jazz Festival and she has appeared at jazz festivals in Germany, Holland, and in Austria.

In the classical field, Ms Emanuel has performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and toured with the Goldovsky Opera company as well as playing with the Springfield and Albany symphonies. Emanuel was a featured soloist with the Gregg Smith Singers at Alice Tully Hall, and has worked with Peter Allen, Juliet Prowse, Neil Sedaka, Steve Lawrence and Edie Gorme, Cyndi Lauper, Hal Wilner and Anthony Braxton among others.

Emanuel's playing is featured on over 25 recordings, including Leo Smith's critically acclaimed "Spirit Catcher" (NessaRecords) with her two sisters, Ruth and Irene, also harpists. Working with the composer John Zorn for over 20 years, Emanuel is the harpist on the groundbreaking "Spillaine and Goddard" as well as "Filmworks," the recent "Femina" and many other
recorded scores.

In 2008-2009 Emanuel performed Zorn's Shir Ha-Shirim at the Guggenheim Museum, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, "Jazz a la Vilette Festival" in Paris and in Milan.

Emanuel's first CD: "Tops of Trees" on Koch Jazz was an adventurous exploration of harp improvisation in new settings created by many of the composers of the New York City downtown scene including Lawrence "Butch Morris, Marty Ehrlich, Bobby Previte, Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell, Evan Lurie and Guy Klucevek.

Ms Emanuel has played for events honoring Senator Daniel Moynihan, Govenor Duval Patrick and President Clinton.