As a vocalist and pianist, Manzo has premiered the works of many American composers, including John Luther Adams, Kyle Gann, Susie Ibarra, Matthew Welch, Aaron Siegel, Daniel Felsenfeld and Jessica Pavone. She earned degrees at the New England Conservatory, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Columbia University.

Emily lives in New York and performs regularly as a classical soloist and chamber musician as well as with her pop group, Christy & Emily, which has released on the Social Registry (US), Big Print (UK) and Klangbad Records (DE). Their last two records were produced by Hans Joachim Irmler of Faust.

Emily’s vocal performance of Jessica Pavone’s song cycle was released in 2011 on Tzadik. In 2009 she recorded the complete works for soprano and piano of Anton Webern with Jody Pou for the SHSK’H label. She has a long-term collaboration with video artist Paul Rowley and is a founding member of Till by Turning, an ensemble dedicated to developing educational resources for new music. She completed her recording of the complete Chopin Preludes at Merkin Concert Hall in November 2012 with the help of funding from the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Foundation.