Emily Graham is a composer based in Ann Arbor, MI with a love for all things classical, pop, rock, and electronic. Emily received her Bachelors degree in Composition from Syracuse University, and her Masters degree in Composition from the University of Michigan. Her portfolio includes works for voice, solo instruments, chamber ensembles, and large ensembles, and several film scores. Emily seeks to break down the barriers between acoustic, electronic, and visual media composition. As a composer, Emily's main passion is to create evocative conceptual and programmatic music. Her friends and colleagues have called her music expressive, unique, and melodically-driven, and have compared her music to the likes of Howard Shore. Emily seeks to create a career writing both concert and film music - she is always working to further expand her knowledge of both modern music and music history in order to emulate and experiment with different styles and genres. Most notably, Emily’s Trombone Concerto titled “The Titanomachy” had its world premiere at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2022. The work was performed by Sasha Romero, principal trombonist for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Holding Space was written for FLYDLPHN as an exercise in both audience manipulation and participation. At the beginning of the piece, the accompanying audio track, comprised of carillon sounds recorded at the Lurie Tower on the University of Michigan's North Campus, is started, and is meant to distract the audience and create a strange air in the room. The sextet then presents the "Self" theme, introduced by the Bass Clarinet. The theme is then translated into 6 different emotional spaces; " Happy," " Sad," "Anxious," "Calm," " Jealous," and " Love," which can be played in any order, determined by the audience. The objective for the audience is to "hold space" for each emotion, despite the clanging of the carillon in the background.