FOLK SONGWRITER
“Unites the traditional and the modern in a stunning, beautiful fashion…”
—Pop Matters
Piano ballads, banjo experiments and folk songs that drift between deep past and present day.
Emily is a solo artist and a founding member of The Early Mays: an old-time, vocal harmony trio that topped the National Folk-DJ charts, won the Clifftop Neo-Traditional Band competition, and performed on NPR’s Mountain Stage.
2026 NEW RELEASES
Upcoming Release Concerts: Nov. 27 (Rochester, NY) and Dec. 4 (Albany, NY)
Chamber composition that gives voice to ghosts of the Hudson Valley. For vocalist, banjo, flute, clarinet, electric guitar, piano and bass.
Finding my voice again in these raw ballads for piano…
“Through an emotive performance and a minimalist arrangement—evoking the tradition of artists like Joni Mitchell and Carole King—Pinkerton transforms stories of vulnerability, particularly those rooted in the female experience, into a universal composition about resilience, healing, and the power of being heard once again.” (Oldeada Indie)
Listen/Order on bandcamp…
More Music…
The Early Mays
Appalachian-inspired songs with lush harmonies, fiddle, banjo, guitar and harmonium.
Rounder Songs
Appalachian song cycle by Emily Pinkerton & Patrick Burke (New Amsterdam Records).
LoOKING For Violeta
Original score for dramatic work about Chilean artists Violeta and Nicanor Parra with Quantum Theatre