American cellist Emily Torkelson approaches her work with an unbridled zeal that makes every performance memorable. Her versatility and sensitivity give her the opportunities to collaborate frequently, both with other musicians and interdisciplinarily. In 2021, she collaborated with the Texas Christian University’s School of Classical and Contemporary Dance alongside guest choreographer Joy Bollanger to perform the prelude to Bach’s second cello suite with live dancing. In 2022, she worked with Texas Cellos and multiple professionals across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to create a thirty-person cello choir. In the same year, she gave the world premiere of Song: for English Ivy, a work for solo cello for which she is also the dedicatee. As an orchestral musician, Torkelson has performed as a section cellist with the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and as the principal cellist of the TCU Symphony, the Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra, the University of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, and the Madison Gamer Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, Torkelson became one of the founding members of the Denver Chamber Orchestra, moving into the role of principal cellist of the ensemble in 2025. In 2025, Torkelson relocated to Madison, Wisconsin, where she quickly established herself as a teacher, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and recitalist. Her 2025-26 season includes performing as principal cellist of the University of Wisconsin Mead Witter School of Music's Symphony Orchestra and the Madison Gamer Symphony Orchestra, debuting as one half of the innovative Short Change Duo with bassoonist Meghan Boelkow, multiple chamber appearances, and two solo recitals.

Torkelson is currently furthering her cello studies with Dr. Matthew Zalkind. Her prior teachers include Adrien Zitoun, Jesús Castro-Balbi, and Juliette Herlin. She is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Cello Performance at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.