Emma Cecilia Thursby (February 21, 1845 " July 4, 1931) was an American singer popular in Europe and the United States.
Thursby was born to John Barnes Thursby, a rope manufacturer, and Jane Ann (Bennett) Thursby. She grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and first began to sing in the Old Bushwick (Dutch) Reformed Church. In 1857, she enrolled in the Bethlehem Female Seminary and trained with Sylvester and Francis Wolle. She continued to sing in church choirs in Brooklyn and Boston.