Biography

TL;dr Snow White meets Strega Nona, plus saxophones/etc.

FULL BIO

Brooklyn/Queens-based saxophonist and woodwind doubler Emily Pecoraro is known for her divergent ventures across the musical spectrum. In addition to her myriad creative pursuits, Emily is a staple of the Broadway pit orchestra community, and has worked or subbed on over a dozen Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. She has also been a chair holder in the orchestra for The Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes for 5 consecutive seasons.

Emily has played for such Broadway and television luminaries as: Tina Fey, Jeff Richmond, David Foster, Marc Shaiman, Katharine McPhee, Kate Nash, Joshua Groban, Norm Lewis, Sara Bareilles, Phillipa Soo, Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster, Shaina Taub, Jenn Colella, Nikki M. James, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Bobby Cannavale, David Hyde Pierce, Jennifer Holliday, Kate Baldwin, Jennifer Simard, Alex Brightman, and Alexander Gemignani. She can currently be heard playing at the two-time TONY Award winning Broadway musical SUFFS at the Music Box Theatre.

With a creative output embracing both groove-based and classical music, Emily has performed or recorded with such acts as: Guster, Hal Willner’s Amarcord Nino Rota, Lady Lamb, Red Baraat, The 8-Bit Big Band, Bill Frisell, Laurie Anderson, Steven Bernstein, Billy Martin, Billy Stritch, Dingonek, NYChillharmonic, Aberdeen, Shubh Saran, The Ed Palermo Big Band, The Big Apple Circus, Brooklyn Wind Symphony, as well as many others. Emily is the leader and composer for EMPECTET, a Chamber Jazz group based in Brooklyn. Her playing can also be heard on the South Park 25th Anniversary Special from Comedy Central, as well as in a handful of commercials, indie films, and other such similar projects. And for many years, Emily played lead alto saxophone for both The Temptations and The Four Tops “New York” horn section, backing up the living Motown legends Otis Williams and Duke Fakir, and was also a regular tenor and alto saxophone soloist with The Temptations Revue featuring the late Motown legend Dennis Edwards.

As an administrator, Emily was the Founder and Program Director for WIJO Mentors, the Women in Jazz Organization’s collegiate mentorship program, from its inception in 2018 through the conclusion of the 2021 academic session. She also was the Founder, Artistic Director, and Curator of The Variousound Sessions, an experimental concert series which held monthly residencies at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and previously Pine Box Rock Shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Emily was the Founder and Co-Director of the Quarantined Woodwind Ensemble, a Covid-era virtual project featuring a rotating roster of 160+ woodwind and percussion players from the Broadway and Jazz communities in New York.

Emily holds her M.M. in Multiple Woodwind Performance from The Boston Conservatory, with concentrations in saxophone, clarinet, and flute. She also holds a B.M. in Music Education from Ithaca College, with an additional emphasis on jazz performance and pedagogy alongside traditional studies in music education.

And because variety is the spice of life, Emily also works professionally as a freelance florist in and around the New York City area, where she has designed arrangements for the Comedy Central television program “Broad City” as well as a handful of other celebrity clients.

Emily currently resides in Ridgewood/Bushwick with her husband, jazz trumpeter Bobby Spellman, and their two toilet-trained cats (yes, really).

SHORT BIO

Brooklyn/Queens-based saxophonist and woodwind doubler Emily Pecoraro is known for her divergent ventures across the musical spectrum. In addition to her myriad creative pursuits, Emily is a staple of the Broadway pit orchestra community, and has worked or subbed on over a dozen Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. She has also been a chair holder in the orchestra for The Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes for 5 consecutive seasons. Emily has played for a number of Broadway and television luminaries over the years, and can currently be heard playing at the two-time TONY Award winning SUFFS at the Music Box Theatre. With a creative output embracing both groove-based and classical music, Emily has performed or recorded with such acts as: Guster, Hal Willner’s Amarcord Nino Rota, Lady Lamb, Red Baraat, The 8-Bit Big Band, Bill Frisell, Laurie Anderson, Steven Bernstein, The Ed Palermo Big Band , as well as many others. Her playing can also be heard on the South Park 25th Anniversary Special from Comedy Central, as well as in a handful of commercials, indie films, and other such similar projects. And for many years, Emily played lead alto saxophone for both The Temptations and The Four Tops “New York” horn section, backing up the living Motown legends Otis Williams and Duke Fakir, and was also a regular tenor and alto saxophone soloist with The Temptations Revue featuring the late Motown legend Dennis Edwards.

For full bio and more please visit: www.empecmusic.com

REALLY SHORT BIO

Broadway: The Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes (2018-present), Suffs (2024), Dancin' (2023 revival).

Off-Broadway: Only Gold (MCC), Suffs (The Public).

Regional Tours: 42nd Street, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady.

Jazz/Pop Credits: Guster, The Temptations, The Four Tops, David Foster, Katharine McPhee, Joshua Groban, Tina Fey & Jeff Richmond, 8-Bit Big Band, Ed Palermo Big Band, Hal Willner's Amarcord, Red Baraat, Lady Lamb, and many others.

Administration: WIJO Mentors (Program Director), The Variousound Sessions (Artistic Director, Curator), The Quarantined Woodwind Ensemble (Director).

Proud member of Local 802, Maestra, WIJO, and NASA (the saxophone one, not the space one).

Education: The Boston Conservatory, Ithaca College, The Streets™️.

For full bio and more please visit: www.empecmusic.com

REALLY REALLY SHORT BIO

Emily Pecoraro is a NYC-based saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist (and florist, actually) whose interdisciplinary playing can be heard in many genres across the City.

Past Partnerships

Goli Nutrition

Neotech Neckstraps