About Me

Emma Rowland-Elsen

SPECIALIST CONSULTANT IN CHOIR INCLUSION AND MENTAL HEALTH

Recognised as one of the UK’s foremost specialists in choral inclusion and mental health, Emma Rowland-Elsen is a veteran choral conductor, sound–voice therapist and consultant, whose work is shaping best practice across the sector. Drawing on her lived experience of PTSD and more than ten years of expertise in trauma-informed leadership and vocal health, she advises choirs, arts organisations and education providers on developing emotionally intelligent, accessible and mentally healthy singing environments for every voice. Emma also works as the Editor: Mental Health and Inclusion at CHORALLY.

An Unexpected Discovery

Emma began her choral conducting career at Oxford University, quite by accident, when she stepped in to lead the Oxford University Chorus in Faure's Requiem the night before the concert - and loved every minute.

Choir quickly became a way of life and, to date, she has conducted 30+ different choirs (SATB, male voice, church, women's and children's) and taught countless children and adults how to sing. She has owned her own theatre school, offering voice and musical theatre qualifications, been a peripatetic voice teacher, and been instrumental in writing an arts programme to assist dementia suffers with their communication. She has performed with musical greats, such as Rod Stewart and Alfie Boe, written three charity pop songs, ten children's musicals, and had various choral works published and performed - including her piece "Autumn" which was sung at a 9/11 memorial service in New York. In South Wales, Emma spent 8 years with Allegra Ladies' Choir, a group that she took from its very first rehearsal, all the way to competition at Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod.

But Emma was hit with a huge shock when she and her family were involved in a terrifying car crash. The accident left her with PTSD, including nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks, and led to depression and severe anxiety. She suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted to take her own life. Following the event, Emma took a year off work to recover.

Turning Trauma into Strength

Music was the answer. After a lot of soul searching and recovery time, Emma decided to set up Sing out Strong, an organisation focused on supporting people with their mental health through singing. It was to be a place where it was okay to admit that you were struggling, and to be comforted by the power of music and support of the group.

When COVID arrived, Emma was running six Sing out Strong choirs and was still on the NHS waiting list for PTSD-specific treatment but, due to the government's new social-distancing regulations, in-person support never materialised. With the stress of lockdown, her panic attacks became more frequent and her stress levels rose so much that her voice entirely disappeared! Emma decided that enough was enough, she was done waiting and would just have to learn to cope with the condition on her own.

Emma's traumatic experience prompted her to take significant time away from her regular work to study stress and anxiety management, trauma and psychological first aid. This was supplemented with work in vocal health, breathwork and sound therapy. Emma spent the first part of lockdown running Sing out Strong online, and it became the world's biggest mental health choir, reaching 109 countries around the world. Later, as it became clear that so many people were suffering with lockdown anxiety and breathing problems, she began offering workshops and webinars on topics such as breathing for relaxation, lung strengthening, and meditation, relying on a team of conductors to continue running the virtual projects.

Emma is breaking the silence around mental health challenges and turning pain into purpose. She has created a beacon of hope and light that continues to shine brighter every day.

- BATON OF HOPE RECOMMENDATION

Gaining Recognition

Emma’s ground-breaking work during lockdown was widely recognised, with features on the BBC (BBC News, BBC2, BBC World), ITV, and in Happiful and Good Housekeeping magazines. She was nominated for a prestigious community award and interviewed for the British Library archive for her innovation in the choral and mental health space.

As the world reopened, Emma created a training programme to support other conductors in launching mental-health-focused choirs - a natural evolution of her advocacy for accessible, emotionally safe singing communities. Her own ladies' choir, Border Belles, quickly became a local favourite, known for its bold performances and unapologetic stance on mental health. The choir’s recent nude charity calendar project for Herefordshire Mind raised almost £10k and earned them a BBC Make a Difference Award nomination, and in October 2025, Emma carried the Baton of Hope in Herefordshire - an honour reflecting her continued commitment to suicide prevention and mental wellbeing.

Current Practice

As a Specialist Consultant in Choir Inclusion and Mental Health, Emma works closely with choir leaders and organisations to run Choir Inclusion & Mental Health Audits - a unique, compassionate service supporting conductors to foster emotionally-safe, accessible, and creatively-rich choral environments. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of trauma-informed voice work and community leadership, she brings both expertise and empathy to every collaboration.

Emma’s most-popular resource, the interactive e-guide Mentally‑Healthy Choirs, is a 40‑page practical toolkit for conductors. It offers trauma‑aware singing practices, grounding techniques, vocal resets, post-performance care strategies, and real-world scripts for navigating boundaries. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting out, this guide helps you lead choirs with clarity, confidence, and care.

Looking ahead, Emma is planning the next Sing Out Strong Residential Weekend which takes place in the South of France, the inaugural MusicMind Retreat (a small-group programme for women exploring therapeutic music work), and the upcoming launch of The Affirmation Choir, designed to bring together empowerment, creativity, and voice. Late in 2025, Emma began work at CHORALLY, the global network of choirs, choir professionals and music lovers, as the Editor for the Mental Health and Inclusion hub.

Academic/CPD

BA Mus (Hons) Music - University of Oxford
MA Music, History and Culture
Diploma in Music Therapy
Voice & Music Therapy for Stress and Nervous System Regulation
Certificate in Sound Therapy and Sound Healing
Anxiety and Stress Management Coach
Transformational Breathwork for Anxiety
Psychological First Aid
NLP Practitioner and Life Coach

Emma is available for workshops and speaking engagements about her lived experience of mental-health-breakdown recovery. Please fill in the Contact Form Here to enquire.

At the heart of it all, I want choirs to be places where people can show up as they are and still feel heard, held, challenged and part of something bigger. That's what drives everything I build.

- EMMA ROWLAND-ELSEN