Emily Riesen

Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 5:00 PM - Piazza Stage

At five, after hearing Mariah Carey sing and seeing Reba McEntire perform on the Country Music Awards, this talented brunette decided to let music lead her life’s path. Country music which tells the stories of the lives of everyday people and their hearts perfectly describes the folks Emily Riesen grew up with in Warsaw, Illinois – a small farm-town along the Banks of the mighty Mississippi River. Listening to Garth Brooks and all the pedal-steele she could absorb, this River Rat was touched by country music.

Growing up in a musical family with a dad who played more than 12 instruments and a mother who sang, Emily was exposed to all kinds of music: Jazz, Big Band, Christian, Rock, Broadway Show tunes and of course Country. This multi-musical quilt of sounds was the backdrop of her life and influenced her in many ways. Emily performed locally in talent shows, school musicals, at theme parks and in choir gaining as much experience as possible. Soon she was fronting her own band, taking her passion to another level in college.

Aside from performing, her college courses took her straight to music city to attend Master Classes and lectures with Nashville’s Music Industry’s finest, all teaching her about the Business from the inside out. Emily came back and forth for two solid years learning from and meeting with professionals from every aspect of the industry: publishers, songwriters, recording engineers, producers, A & R representatives, and label executives. She studied what they taught her and when she graduated, she moved to Nashville to begin her career. She is now writing, playing shows, and promoting a project she recently finished supporting the Special Operations Forces of the military called “All Out of Smiles”.

For Emily, her music is the diary of her life and through it she shares some of her most personal and emotional experiences. She feels that the truth in her music gives everyone something to relate to and prays that in some way God will use it to inspire and help others.

www.emilyriesen.com