21-year-old area singer-songwriter Emily Elbert's no stranger to local music fans, having performed her fair share of gigs at Opening Bell and the Kessler Theater in recent years since picking up the guitar at age 15. She's no stranger to the Internet either: Her jazzy, acoustic take on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" has been watched some 265,000 times since it was posted back in 2008--which is pretty gosh darn jaw-dropping no matter how you slice it.
Now the Berkelee College of Music junior can count another accolade among her accomplishments: Glamour's named Elbert to its list of Top 10 college women, and will include Elbert in an upcoming magazine feature on young women making names for themselves amongst the co-ed clutter. Who knew that New York publishing types were into new-New-Bohemian-bohemian chic? Not us, that's for sure.
After the jump, Glamour, via its press release announcement, lets us in on its decision to honor this young Coppell-raised talent.
Berklee Student Emily Elbert of Coppell, TX, Is Among Glamour Magazine's Top 10 College Women
Berklee student Emily Elbert, an accomplished singer/songwriter, is a winner in Glamour magazine's annual Top 10 College Women Competition, which honors the best college juniors in the country. The magazine conducted a nation-wide search, seeking out the top students in several fields, including medicine, humanities, and advocacy. The winners, including Elbert and students from Harvard and MIT, are featured in the October issue of Glamour. Elbert received a $3,000 cash prize and a three-night trip to New York where she attended a ceremony in honor of the winners. Glamour also filmed a video of Elbert, for which she was asked to choose a mentor to include in the interview. "It was hard to choose just one person, but I decided to ask Berklee President Roger Brown," she says. "He's actually the first person I ever met at Berklee, and he's had a great impact on my time at the school."
Elbert, a professional music major studying at Berklee on a full-tuition scholarship, has just released her second album, Proof. The CD features her strong melodies, straight-to-the-heart vocals, and intricate guitar work. The album was co-produced by Elbert and Berklee professor Stephen Webber, and features Berklee players from India, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and around the U.S. Berklee professor and Grammy-winning cellist Eugene Friesen, and Elbert's father Roland are also featured.
Raised in Coppell, Texas, 21-year-old Elbert fell in love with guitar at 15 and taught herself to play. She was soon winning awards, including a spot in the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Foundation's jazz ensemble. Music lovers have watched her YouTube videos in droves: her acoustic version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" has received over 250,000 views. Elbert has played more than 350 shows in Alaska, Memphis, Austin, New York, Scotland, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, and Peru, and opened for Richie Havens, G. Love and Special Sauce, Janis Ian, Kaki King, and Patty Larkin. She was also named Best New Artist of 2008 by Boston's WUMB-FM.
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over 65 years, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today - and tomorrow.
