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Emi Ferguson & Michael Poll
Biography Emi Ferguson & Michael Poll
Michael Poll
is a guitarist and conductor whose artistry brings together instrumental intimacy, structural clarity, and a refined ear for colour. As a guitarist, he has performed across North and South America and Europe, appearing at venues including Barbican Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the National Theatre of Panama. His debut recording, 7-String Bach, was described as “masterful” by Gramophone, and WholeNote praised his “warm, rich, and full tone.”
Poll’s work as a performer is shaped by a rare breadth of musical experience. He currently serves as Head of Orchestras at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk, following appointments with the Poznań State Opera, Central City Opera in Colorado, and Bloomsbury Opera in London. His conducting has included productions of Madama Butterfly and Carnival of the Animals at the Baltic Opera, Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte for Bloomsbury Opera, and The Pirates of Penzance for Central City Opera. Critics have praised his “command of detail”, “exceptional clarity and spaciousness of sound”, and “finely balanced proportions.”
His recent recordings reflect an equal commitment to the classical canon and to living musical traditions. His 2025 album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – featuring Barber’s Violin Concerto with Jack Liebeck alongside works by David Conte and Byron Adams – was featured on the Apple Music Top 100. His 2026 recording with composer Gao Hong and the RPO received a Gold Medal at the World Music Awards.
In this recording, Poll’s dual identity as guitarist and conductor is especially revealing. The flute–guitar repertoire demands not only virtuosity, but also proportion, breath, balance, and an acute sensitivity to resonance. Poll’s playing brings those qualities into focus: lyrical yet precise, intimate yet architecturally aware, and always attentive to the expressive possibilities of linking sounds together.
Emi Ferguson
A recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Emi Ferguson is the founder of interdisciplinary ensemble Exquisite Corpse and can be heard live in concerts and festivals with groups including the Handel and Haydn Society, AMOC*, Ruckus, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Manhattan Chamber Players, and as the music director of Camerata Pacifica Baroque.
Her recordings By George!, Amour Cruel, and Fly the Coop: Bach Sonatas and Preludes, celebrate her fascination with reinvigorating music and instruments of the past for the present and have been called “blindingly impressive … a fizzing, daring display of personality and imagination” by The New York Times.
Emi has spoken and performed at TEDx events and has been featured on the Discovery Channel, Amazon Prime, WQXR, and Vox talking about how music relates to our world today. With WQXR, she hosts the Young Artists Showcase and Once Upon A Composer, and created the series This Composer Is SICK!. Her book Iconic Composers was released in 2023. Born in Japan and raised in London and Boston, she now resides in New York.
