Emma Louise Brodie

Emma was born in Scotland in 1978 and started playing the drums and percussion when she was twelve years old.  She started working as a drummer in the musicals Oliver and West Side Story.

At the age of 17 she started a 4-year BA music degree course at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester.  That same year she won a scholarship from the Virtuosi Society in Edinburgh for two thousand pounds to buy a Marimba. At the RNCM, Emma studied with Ian Wright, Paul Patrick, Graham.C.Johns, Liz Gilliver and the acclaimed English drummer Dave Hassell. She also took part in master classes with Evelyn Glennie (Marimba) Birger Sülsbruck(Congas)  Victor Mendoza (Jazz Vibraphone)  Ney Rosauro (Brazilian Percussion)  Ed Thigpen (Drum kit)  Nick Petrella (Snare Drum)  Paul Clarvis (Drum Kit)  Kevin Hathaway (Orchestral Percussion)  Barak Schmool (African Drumming)  Eric Sammut (Marimba)  to mention only a few.

While studying for her degree, she entered the prestigious British competition “The BBC Young Musician of the Year” where she reached the percussion finals. She was also invited to be a marimba soloist with the RNCM Wind Orchestra in 1998.

In Manchester Emma worked as a freelance drummer for the musicals Oklahoma and Me and My Girl and was also in the Zak Barrett Jazz quartet/quintet. As a classical percussionist, she performed with The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, The London Bach Orchestra,  The Manchester Philharmonic Concert Orchestra,  The Raymond Gubbay Orchestra,  The Northern Sinfónia and the Northern Chamber Orchestra.

In 2000 Emma moved to Madrid, Spain where she began to work as a teacher in Neopercusión, running a junior department and ensemble.  She also worked as a freelance classical percussionist with the following orchestras: La Orquesta Nacional de España (ONE), La Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias (OSPA),  La Orquesta Sinfónica de la Comunidad de Madrid, and others. As a drummer she has worked in the two major theatres in Madrid.  Starting with Cats in the Coliseum theatre in the year 2003 until  September of the same year where she moved on to Mamma Mia in the theatre Lope De Vega.  In Mamma Mia, Emma worked both as a drummer and percussionist.

Emma has also worked in percussion groups and as a solo artist promoting many famous brands such as Carlsberg, Mahou,  Kronnenberg,  Bosch,  Schwepps, Renault etc. In July 2005 Emma was invited to the percussion festival Ritmo Vital as a drum kit teacher where she was able to study with Peter Erskine who was the star invite of the event.

Emma was a founding member of the percussion group Bubidon, together with the renowned percussionists Sergey Sapricheff (Hand Drumming) and Rogerio de Souza (Brazilian Percussion). She is also a founding member of the percussion theatre group Ritmosofia, sponsored by Caja Madrid along with Sergey Sapricheff and Pau Martinez (Congas, Cajón Flamenco).

In 2006 Emma also began to work freelance with the Big Band del Maestro Leiva. Emma is also working as the percussionist and singer for Los Andes Jazz Project with the worldwide acclaimed Andean drummer Yayo Morales. She is currently working with the famous Spanish Pop Band La Unión, where she is featured as a drummer percussionist and backing singer.