By Gina Lanaux

I saw a great T-shirt quote, 'I'm not being Dramatic, I'm being Theatrical!’ I love being around theatrical people because their personalities are animated, energetic, creative, and fun. Emily Herring is all this and more and has a dynamic resume, too. A professional singer, actor, and voice teacher in New York City, she now makes Fairhope her home. Her career path is as exciting as her persona.

Growing up in Mobile, Emily started playing the piano at 6 years old and quickly discovered that she loved performing.  She made her stage debut with The Pixie Players now known as Playhouse in the Park, when she was cast as a Munchkin in The Wizard Of Oz. By age 15, she played a lead role as the oldest daughter ‘Liesl’ In The Sound of Music. She studied classical voice with Betty Rogers at the University of South Alabama for 7 years and at her senior year recital, she sang in five different languages. In 1990, she was selected Mobile County’s Junior Miss ( Distinguished Young Women ) and received a Vocal scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi, majoring in Voice.  A graduate degree from the University of Tennessee in Vocal Performance came next and as soon as she had her masters in hand, she was off to the Big Apple. “ You have to start at the bottom in musical theater, so I auditioned for Summer Stock and performed in Pennsylvania before being hired as a singer on a Cruise Line,” she says in a voice filled with musicality. She studied voice in NYC with the legendary, Marni Nixon, who was the singing voice of Natalie Wood (West Side Story), Deborah Kerr (The King and I), and Audrey Hepburn (My Fair Lady) 

With experience, no debt, and money in her pocket, she returned to NYC and did 3 national Broadway tours with Troika Entertainment and NETworks. As ‘Mother Abbess’ aka ‘Mother Superior’ in The Sound Of Music, she was Nominated for Best Actress for the role at the National Broadway Theatre Awards in 2001.  While touring as ‘Mother’ in Ragtime, she tells me that their opening night was on the fateful day of 9/11 and they postponed the performance. When she played the lead role as ‘Kate’ in Kiss Me Kate, Emily says she was onstage for 90% of the show. “ I was exhausted!” she trilled. “ I needed a break from performing so I decided to move to Birmingham and teach.”  And teach she did! Her resume includes the University of Alabama's Department of Theatre and Dance, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), The University of Montevallo, and Birmingham Southern. 

After 12 years teaching in the Birmingham Area and performing in many regional theater productions, in 2018, the bright lights and big city called again so she began teaching at the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York until the pandemic required her to teach voice via Zoom. “ I was so glad I still had a job when everything was shut down but I went back to Birmingham where I felt safer, and continued to teach remotely.” She taught online for 2 years with AMDA, and then she found an apartment on the bay in Fairhope and here we are. Whew!  

“ I have really done a lot when I tell it all at once !“ she says after I have been taking furious notes.   Vivacious, exuberant, joyful! What other sparkly words can I use to describe her?

In Fairhope, Emily has started a voice studio, Emily Herring’s Vocal Studio. She teaches every style of music from ‘ Classical to Country” and her students are demographically diverse. “ I teach children ages 10 and older, musical theater kids who need audition skills, and adults who are singer/ songwriters that need some vocal coaching. Contemporary, commercial music is popular. I am also a Music Director here in Baldwin County. I have been the music director for Daphne and Foley High School's musicals. “

As a professional artist, Emily has sung abroad in concerts and musicals in Canada, Greece, Italy, and France and presently defines herself as a jazz singer who performs at private parties, restaurants, and other venues. She loves to sing for weddings or other church services and particularly enjoys symphonic concerts. If you visit her website, Emilyherring.com, there are links to hear her sing Patsy Cline, The Star Spangled Banner, Wedding and Spiritual songs, Musical Theater Selections, and more. “ I’m a Cabaret Singer but truly miss the theater.”  I imagine her theatrical propensity goes everywhere she goes!

The Eastern Shore is privileged to have a talent like hers available as a teacher and performer. Contact Emily via email at emily3nyc@gmail.com or through her website. She will make your heart sing!