Lolita Emmanuel is an Assyrian and Armenian musician, born on Cabrogal land and navigating many worlds.
Photograph by Luke Currie-Richardson
Photograph by Luke Currie-Richardson
Performing Assyrian-ness
Lecture-Recital Film
Performance
Lolita’s experience as a performer spans across Art, Folk, R&B and Hip Hop music genres, in venues such as AGNSW, the Sydney Opera House, The Metro Theatre and North Byron Parklands for Splendour in the Grass festival.
In 2019, she made her performance debut in the US as an accompanist and soloist with the Assyrian Arts Institute’s Assyrian Women ensemble.
Lolita is currently the keyboardist for hip-hop artist Rhyan Clapham aka DOBBY’s WARRANGU: River Story project.
You can watch a selection of Lolita’s performances on her YouTube channel.
Research
As a performer-researcher and Assyrian woman living in stateless diaspora, Lolita is passionate about sustaining Assyrian cultural heritage through music and regularly performs for Assyrian audiences.
She is currently undertaking a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at the Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney (USYD). Her research, “Performing Assyrian-ness”, explores new and decolonial approaches to performing Assyrian Art music that sustains Assyrian heritage and can unite the diverse and transnational Assyrian community.
Lolita is currently an academic tutor in musicology at the Conservatorium of Music (USYD).