Since coming to North Texas in 1998, Emily Bryant has established herself as an accomplished rhythm guitar accompanist and vocalist in the traditional Celtic music scene. Her playing style centers on dropped-D tuning, which she has focused on for the last 10 years.
Growing up in a musical family, Emily was exposed to Irish music at a very young age by her father. She began playing guitar in her early teens but didn¹t start playing Irish music until she attended college. As a student of anthropology at the University of Southern Mississippi, Emily studied under Professor Jim Flanagan, a well-known traditional singer from Cork, who introduced her to local musicians who played Irish music.
After college and a nine-month stint in Cork as a Rotary Scholar, Emily moved to Texas where she began to hone her Irish back-up-style guitar playing. She was a founding member of Idle Road, a group that reinvigorated the Dallas-Fort Worth ceili scene with their lively performances of traditional dance music and dance calling. Currently, Emily plays with the Celtic trio Shift, is an active member of the
TIMES Band & Session Players and regularly sits in with local Irish musicians.
Former Instructor – Guitar
2004, 2009