Name
Emily Palethorpe
 
Years Attended Arden
Pre-school to Year 6 (1983-1991)
 
Education
BMus GradDip(perf) AMusA MTeach
 
For as long as she can remember, music has been a part of Emily Palethorpe’s life.  Born into a musical family - her mother is a music teacher – Emily made the decision early on to make music her career. Now a freelance Cellist, Emily has performed with the WSO and the Metropolitan Orchestra and has supported international performance artists such as Michael Buble, Kylie Minogue and Harry Connick Jnr to name a few. Her journey as a Cello player began in Year 2 while a student at Arden.
 
Emily attended Arden from Pre-school to Year 6 (1983-1991). She remembers Arden being a nurturing and safe place where everyone was made to feel welcome and accepted. Arden supported her love of music. She was a member of the choir and the Music Club. But she was also sporty. She loved PE, was in the netball team and remembers beating all the boys in the Cross Country events.
 
She has fond memories of her teachers especially Mrs Smith in Year 1 and Mrs Wright who taught her in Year 3 and Year 5. Mrs Wright, who sadly passed away in 2015, still holds a special place in Emily’s heart. They shared a love of creative writing and poetry and would often share examples of their work. They remained in contact for many years after Emily left Arden to go to secondary school. She credits Mrs Boyle, her music at Arden, for giving her a solid grounding in music and plenty of encouragement.
 
As Arden was a primary school only until 2003, Emily moved to PLC and then to Barker for Years 11-12. After secondary school Emily continued to study music. She graduated with distinction from ANU where she completed a Bachelor of Music Performance and from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance. She later went on to complete a Masters of Teaching from the University of Sydney.
 
After her studies, Emily began her career in music by playing gigs as a freelance cellist and teaching. She went on to start her own business, Accent Strings, who are booked for private and corporate events. Over the course of her career Emily has performed with artists such as Delta Goodrem, The Veronicas, John Farnham, Harry Connick Junior, Sarah Blasko, Human Nature, Tina Arena, Lior, James Morrison, Il Divo, Susan Boyle, Michael Bolton, Kylie Minogue, David Helfgott, Michael Buble, Marina Prior and Ministry of Sound. She regularly appears in TV productions including The X Factor, The Today Show, The Voice and Sunrise and has toured Japan as a solo cellist and Singapore with electric string trio ‘Maske’. She has performed on the ‘Bravo Cruise of the Performing Arts’ three times to Noumea and with a Piano Trio to New Zealand.
 
Her advice to Arden students wishing to pursue a career in music is to go for it! “If” you can make a career out of something you love you shouldn’t hesitate. In the beginning it is essential to take every opportunity that comes your way and say ‘yes’ to as much as possible. Take risks, challenge yourself but try to grow a thick skin because there will be setbacks along the way. Ensure clients and colleagues see you as reliable, make sure you always practice your part and be on time. Better yet, be early!  
 
Emily lives in Sydney with her husband and two sons aged 3 & 5.



Emily (front row, middle) in Kindergarten.



Emily (front row, second from left) and her Year 6 Netball Team.



Emily Palethorpe in 2020.