Laken Emerson holds degrees from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith (BA Music, 2016) and Wright State University (MM Flute Performance, 2019). Originally from Oklahoma, she has worked with nonprofit music organizations in Colorado, Michigan, and Ohio prior to joining the Fort Smith Symphony in 2020. She currently serves as Executive Director for the Flute New Music Consortium, which promotes and commissions new works by emerging and underrepresented composers. This is her third season with the Symphony.