to purchase or peruse unpublished scores, kindly reach out to the composer
list of works
Choir
Oudh (2023), for choir - text by Ayesha Chatterjee PURCHASE HERE
The Carpenter (2023), SATB - text by Steven Lambke PURCHASE HERE
Prayer during a thunderstorm (2023), SATB - text by Gavin Barrett PURCHASE HERE
This is (2023), SATB & piano - text by Adebe DeRango-Adem
How to draw light (2022), SATB - text by Ayesha Chatterjee
Sicut Cervus (2021), SSA PURCHASE HERE
I Had No Time To Hate (2020), SSA - text by Emily Dickinson
The Gift To Sing (2020), SATB - text by James Weldon Johnson
Thy Light, O Liberty! (2020), SSA - text by Hannah More
The Magnificat (2020), SATB PURCHASE HERE
Debt (2019), SATB - text by Sara Teasdale
We Never Said Farewell (2018), SATB - text by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
Psalm 113 (2017), SATB
the shame of love (2014), SATB - text by Jacob Oliviera
Ubi Caritas (2013), SSA
The Water’s Edge (2013), SSAA - text by Susan Turner
Laus Deo; Mass for Women's Choir (2013), SSAA PURCHASE HERE
I Asked of God (2012), SATB - text by Lucy Maud Montgomery PURCHASE HERE
Solo Voice
How Beautiful (2022), soprano and organ
Be Merciful - Psalm 57 (2021), mezzo-soprano & piano PURCHASE HERE
Jewess (2021), mezzo soprano & piano - text by Lisa Richter
Let Your Hearts Revive; psalms for the church (2020), acoustic album
A Warm Winter’s Night (2016), mezzo-soprano, guitar, piano, flute & viola
Come, rest a while (2016), mezzo-soprano and piano - text by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Chamber/Small Ensemble (1 to 4 players)
Didsbury (2023), viola quartet
Aesop’s Fables; a Duo (2023), viola and cello duo
love fiercely, hold lightly (2022), string quartet
Upcycle (2021), solo viola
exhale [nature v nurture] (2021), solo flute & electronics
deciduous (2020), string quartet
Calm (2020), for 4 trumpets
Three ‘shorts’ for solo viola/cello (2016)
Winnie (2014), trumpet, trombone & marimba
L’Étang (2013), solo piano
Orchestra/Large Ensemble (5 or more players)
Aelfred Mec (2024), junior string orchestra
The Ivanhoe Miniatures (2024), brass quintet
Do Not Stand By My Grave And Weep (2023), wind band and SATB choir
The Lost Ones (2020), orchestra
The Book of Romans (2019), SATB soloists, choir & string orchestra
Morning Along Shore (2017), SATB choir & string orchestra
Ochre (2017), orchestra
Meditation (2014), wind orchestra
Andante for Brass Quintet (2014), brass quintet
Artist Statement
Emily Hiemstra (neé Walker) is an award winning and multidisciplinary artist who works as a violist, composer, teacher and songwriter in Toronto, ON. Her music has been performed throughout Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada, including festivals such as the Carrefour Chamber Music Project (Boston, MA), Podium (Halifax, NS), Numus (Waterloo, ON) and Fresh Inc. (Milwaukee, WI). Her orchestral and operatic background as a musician has deepened her understanding of colour and texture which she readily applies in her compositions to create clear and innovative works.
As a composer, Emily is influenced by a kaleidoscope of artists; from Bela Bartok, Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass and Benjamin Britten to indie folk songwriters like Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver. She takes a holistic approach to writing, seeking to make music that is enjoyable and captivating for both the performer and listener. Her biggest influence comes from family life as a mother of two; it informs the evident tension in her music and her ability to create a sense of playfulness and curiosity while also maintaining the clarity and intentionality of someone keenly aware of the precious gift of time.
Her passion for writing choral music, especially in collaborating and championing new voices, has led her to compose music to the works of female poets like Lucy Maud Montgomery, Sara Teasdale, Hannah More, Susan Turner and Mary Elizabeth Coleridge. Her piece with text by Lucy Maud Montgomery I Asked of God, was recorded on the JUNO nominated Canadian Chamber Choir album, Sacred Reflections in 2015.
Emily is a member of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) and the Association of Canadian Women Composers (ACWC). She is currently working on a song cycle based on poems by Joy Davidman for performance Spring 2026.