The name "Forest Weaver" comes from a mustard-tummied songbird which flits from branch to branch in South African indigenous forests. This bird is known for singing crystal clear, piercingly high notes that stand out above the usual orchestra of birdsong, despite its small stature.​ 

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Emma Farquharson hails from Hilton in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She has a rich multi-genre singing background, having spent her childhood & teens combing through her parents diverse CD collections & singing in choirs both local & provincial / national.  ​She matriculated with Honours for Choir & Half Colours for Drama, & is a Gold President's Award  Alumni (2014).

 

She holds two degrees with Distinction in Music: a BA

(Second Major in Drama), & BA Honours. Both were completed at Rhodes University, under the bel canto training of Miss Jo-Nette Le Kay. By the end of her university career, Emma held 9 scholarships & bursaries to her name, most notably an Ada & Bertie Levenstein Bursary & a SAMRO Bursary. She was also a Fulbright semifinalist for the 2019/20 intake, was recognized as one of 100 top-performing students by the 2018  Investec Rhodes Arts, Culture, Media & Society Award Board, & is a member & scholarship winner of the Golden Key International Honours Society.

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Emma staged two successful shows at the Grahamstown/Makhanda National Arts Festival whilst pursuing her degrees. Opera Found (2017 Standard Bank Encore Ovation Award) & A Feather on the Breath of God (2018 Arena Production).

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She took Opera Found to Sue Gordon’s Concerts At The Castle Series in Port Alfred, and thence to her hometown & surrounds in KZN. A Feather on the Breath of God (2018) is a concert she considers to be the most important of her young career, as it showcased the works of 10 female Western Art Music composers, spanning 700 years of music history. She was honoured to work with American-born Cellist, Caleb Vaughn-Jones, as well as local pianist Nina van Schoor.

 

Emma returned to KZN in 2019 after her studies & staged 9 concerts, working with musicians like Lara Kirsten, Ilse Myburgh, David Orr, Christopher Duigan, James Grace & the PMB Caledonian Pipe Band. Here, she furthered her vocal development with retired opera singer, Margaret Clay-Bowen, training as a Spinto-Dramatic Soprano. She also operated a home vocal coaching studio. Her most notable performance of 2019 was her booking by PAMS as Soprano for the annual Handel’s Messiah in November, where she was met with wide acclaim.

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2020 to 2022 were years where, Covid-induced, performance necessarily took a back seat. They did, however, see her build upon her belief in championing female composers past and present, international and local. She produced an eConcert-Documentary entitled "Herstory", funded by ConcertsSA, SAMRO, IKSS Consulting and The Norwegian Arts Embassy. Sourcing musicians, actor-dancers, a conductor and an opera director from South Africa and abroad, this digital edu-resource aids audiences and educators in learning about select womxn in music, and where to source publications of their work, as well as featuring a diversity of instruments and performers. Orders can be placed using: theforestweaver@gmail.com

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In the time of Covid, Emma practiced her art predominantly as a school vocal coach; most notably at St Annes Diocesan High School for Girls and Cowan House Independent Co-Ed Preparatory School. As Covid retreats, Emma prepares now to return to the stage, working as a freelance opera & classical singer and auditioning for opera houses.

 

Newly married (2022), she and her husband emigrated to The Republic of Ireland in January  2023. She currently works as a soloist & member of chorus at Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquets, County Clare. She is also studying towards an MA in Music online, with The Open University UK. If you'd like to help her to fund her studies, visit her GoFundMe page.

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2024 is already busy! Having placed 3rd in the Newpark Academy of Music Festival and 1st in the Feile Luimnigh Operatic Cup, Emma is auditioning for Solo and Chorus roles in Irish Opera Houses.