Emily Lane O’Brien is a musician, educator, and arts administrator committed to advancing equitable, community-centered arts education. A lifelong performing artist, she grew up participating in community programs that shaped her belief in the transformative power of the arts. She earned her PhD in musicology from Northwestern University, where her research explored radio adaptations of Hollywood musicals in the 1930s and 1940s, and she taught courses in music and dance history at the Bienen School of Music. Her scholarly work appears in the Lexington Books volume Radio Art and Music: Culture, Aesthetics, Politics.

Emily currently serves as Development and Communications Manager at Intonation Music, where she writes grants and crafts narratives that elevate the work of teaching artists and students in greater Bronzeville. Her work focuses on clearly articulating impact, supporting program growth, and connecting communities to meaningful arts experiences.

Outside of her professional work, Emily serves on the board of Willow Wood Preschool, and can often be found wrangling her three young children, playing paddle, or tending her garden.

emily.o@intonationmusic.org