Emily was first introduced to Eighth Blackbird twenty years ago when her family lived down the street from co-founder Matthew Duvall. She has been a fan ever since. She joins Eighth Blackbird with a wealth of experience in the non-profit sector, featuring roles in event management, public relations, development, and communications. In her most recent role, as Artist Booking Agent for Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, Emily developed their first artist-in-residence program, installing and overseeing Eighth Blackbird’s 18-month term. As a freelancer, she helps non-profits build short- and long-term goals and growth strategies.

Outside of work, Emily loves cooking (especially over wood fires), paddle boarding, qigong, and learning new ways to channel the energy of her excitable dog. Every fall, she delights in bringing her neighbors together for weekly movie screenings in her backyard.

Emily has a Bachelor of Music from the University of Illinois. She has three adult children and lives in Evanston with her husband and two dogs.

Madilyn Connor is a flutist and arts administrator originally from upstate New York. An avid chamber musician with a passion for contemporary music, Madilyn is a founding member of the MTN Trio - a group comprised of two flutes and a marimba focused on collaborating with living composers to expand the unique instrumentation’s repertoire. She was also a founding member of the wind quintet Coral Winds - a group dedicated to community outreach in Ithaca, NY. As an arts administrator, Madilyn has spent the past two summers as House Manager and Box Office Assistant at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, ME. Prior to this position, she served as an intern with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra in Ithaca, NY. Madilyn holds a B.M. in Flute Performance from Ithaca College, where she studied with Allison Parramore and Wendy Mehne.

Madilyn is incredibly honored to join Eighth Blackbird’s Creative Team for the 2026-27 season thanks to a Fellowship granted to her by the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation. Outside of work, Madilyn likes to rock climb, spend time outside, and create art of all kinds.

Matthew McCabe is currently Associate Professor of Audio Technology at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in Georgia. He holds degrees in music from the University of Richmond, Bowling Green State University, and the University of Florida, and has worked as an audio engineer with a huge variety of musicians spanning multiple genres.  His current research involves networked audio technologies, and he has no less than 4 new recording projects underway in 2023.  His creative output includes acoustic and electronic compositions, sound poetry, and performances with the Celtic music group Wolf & Clover, which released its first album in 2018. He has also been studying the Irish language for several years, earning certificates from Fairfield University and the University of Maynooth and has spent time in language immersion programs in County Donegal.

Ethan Cowburn is a Chicago-based percussionist, interdisciplinary artist, and accessibility advocate whose work bridges experimental music, global traditions, and inclusive design. His artistic practice centers on reimagining how sound is experienced and understood.

Cowburn has performed internationally and across the United States, including appearances in Thailand at King Rama VI’s Mrigadayavan Palace and at Phetchaburi Rajabhat University. His ongoing study of Thai music includes immersive training in traditional repertoire and performance practice, cultural exchange initiatives, and government sponsored programs supporting cross-cultural dialogue. He shares this work through workshops and performances that contextualize Thai classical and folk traditions for new audiences.

In the U.S., he has worked with leading contemporary artists and ensembles including Russel Hartenberger, Wadada Leo Smith, Molly Herron, Panayiotis Kokoras, Viet Cuong, Ensemble Dal Niente, Eighth Blackbird, and Beyond This Point. His projects span concert performance, interdisciplinary installations, and community-based initiatives integrating electronics, video, and field recordings. As a new music advocate, he regularly premieres works by emerging composers and develops experimental performance environments that challenge traditional concert formats.

A winner of the VSA International Young Musicians Competition, Cowburn recently performed a solo recital at the Kennedy Center as part of a weeklong residency in Washington, D.C. focused on accessibility in music for those with disabilities. He has received multiple grants from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in support of interdisciplinary and community focused projects.

Garrett joins the Lab team as an educator, administrator and artist. Over the past 10 years, Garrett has performed with opera companies across the United States, including Opera Saratoga, Opera Ithaca, Opera Philadelphia, Sarasota Opera, Opera Delaware, Opera Sarasota, Central City Opera, most recently, with Opera in the Heights singing the title role in Eugene Onegin. As an educator, Garrett has taught with the School District of Philadelphia, Kimmel Center, Skidmore College, Opera Philadelphia, ArtSmart, and the Harvard Kennedy School and is currently on the roster of Teaching Artists with COMPAS in the Twin Cities. As an administrator, Garrett has designed and facilitated educational and community programs for the Harvard Graduate School of Education Arts in Education cohort, Opera Philadelphia, the Olivetti Leadership Institute in northern Italy and, most recently, as the Director of Education with Midori & Friends in midtown Manhattan. As a producer and production manager, Garrett has worked in with theater makers, dancers, and musicians at Theater Mu, Interact Arts, at the Great Northern Festival (on a dance commission on a frozen lake!) in Minneapolis in addition to his work with Eighth Blackbird at Yerkes Observatory. Garrett has a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is currently living making a pitstop in Minneapolis!