Emma Margutsch

B.Mus (Honours)., M.Mus (Music Education)

Emma Margutsch is the Conductor of komorni zbor Zaklad (Zaklad Chamber Choir), General Manager of Choirs Ontario, avid performer as both a Soprano and Flutist, Conductor and Artistic Lead of a national Canadian-Slovenian Choral music project. Emma continues to be in high demand as a private music instructor/professor in Central and Southwestern Ontario.

Emma completed her Honours Bachelors of Music at McMaster University (with a Minor in Classical studies) studying with Canadian flute virtuoso, Suzanne Shulman. Under the direction of the late Dr. David Gerry, Emma was a member of the McMaster University Flute Ensemble and served as principal flutist from 2014-2016. Emma actively sang in the McMaster Women’s Choir under the direction of Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff.

Embarking on a path of graduate studies, Emma completed her Masters in Music (Music Education) at the University of Western Ontario during which time her research focused on Choral/Vocal Identity and Choral Pedagogy. Other research included investigation into the positive impact of informal music learning, specific to Slovenian folk and folk-pop music genres (narodna zabavna glasba).

Photo: Nadi K. Photography

Outside of her musical career, Emma serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Vseslovenski kulturni odbor (the All-Slovenian Cultural Committee) and is the current Editor-in-Chief of Glasilo kanadskih Slovencev (The Voice of Canadian Slovenians magazine). Emma is the primary Coordinator of Tours and Cultural Exchanges for VSKO, responsible for the organization of visits, tours and cultural exchanges with musicians, and bands from Slovenia in Ontario, Canada. Recent tours and performances include: Theresa Plut (soprano) and Nejc Lavrenčič (piano); Tina Debevec-Dragoš (soprano) and Katarina Tominec (piano); Tanja Zajc Zupan (zither) and Hermina Matjašec (violin); Ansambel Saša Avsenika; Ansambel Smeh; Ansambel Prava stvar; skupina Raubarji and Peški oktet; Šmarnogorski kvintet (2025).

In January 2019, Emma founded komorni zbor Zaklad (Zaklad Chamber Choir), and is the Artistic Lead for a National Choir/Choral Music project for Slovenians across Canada which began in 2023.

A passion project over 10 years in the making, Emma together with friends and colleagues Saša Rečnik and Millie Muhič-Dolenc launched "v tujini, po domače" under the premiere event with Fehtarji from Slovenia in February 2025.

Emma is the General Manager of Choirs Ontario, the provincial choral arts service organization, which facilitates a number of networking and professional development opportunities for choral communities, resources, and honour programs such as the Ontario Youth Choir, Ontario Youth Treble Festival, and SingOntario.

Emma continues to embark on her performance, conducting and cultural journey; active research and musical instruction.