Canadian soprano Emma Fekete is praised for her “distinctive voice, well-mastered vocal technique, presence imbued with simplicity and truth and radiant personality” — Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. Emma has performed in Canada and abroad with the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Orchestre de l’Agora and Ensemble Volte, and has sung at venues such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. Next season (2023-2024), she will make her debut with Opéra de Montréal as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and will sing the title role in L’incoronazione di Poppea with the Atelier lyrique. 

An intuitive and curious performer, Emma is passionate about interdisciplinary collaborations and attaches great importance to the creation of new music. She made her operatic debut in 2019 in the world-premiere Dangerous Liaisons with OPERA2DAY in the role of Cécile de Volanges. She reprised the role three years later with Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn when asked to step in as a last-minute replacement. Subsequent operatic roles include Madeline in The Fall of the House of Usher with OPERA2DAY and La bergère/La pastourelle/La chouette in L’enfant et les sortilèges with the Atelier lyrique. Emma made her concert debut with Ensemble Volte in Les galanteries sauvages in 2019 and has since performed with the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest in West Side Story - Live in Concert and the Société d’art vocal de Montréal. 

Emma has received bursaries and grants from the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, the Jeunesses musicales du Canada and the Fonds de bourses Jacqueline et Paul Desmarais du Domaine Forget de Charlevoix. She was selected as one of Théâtre Lyrichorégra’s Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques 2021 where she received international engagements and training opportunities. Having benefitted from the precious support of various organisations et communities throughout her career, Emma strives to give back by offering musical discovery opportunities to future generations. She recently wrote and hosted interactive workshops on the theme of The Magic Flute with young children in partnership with Val-d’Or en concerts. 

Passionate about languages, culture and travel, Emma moved to the Netherlands in 2017 to pursue her vocal training. She earned her bachelor and master’s degree in vocal performance from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with high honours. She received significant praise for her master thesis, Interpreting religious works in a non-religious context - An in-depth study of Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites. While in Amsterdam, Emma was a member of the young artist mentorship program, Jonge Grote Zangers, through which she sang the opening act to Matthias Goerne’s recital at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ and participated in a masterclass with Sergei Leiferkus. 

From a young age, Emma was keen to develop her musical identity: she began violin lessons at the age of six and explored her Hungarian roots through Brahm’s Hungarian Dances as well as her Celtic roots during a fiddle camp in Cape Breton. She pursued her studies in violin and piano at the Conservatoire de Val-d’Or and took dance lessons for over ten years. Today, Emma strives to deepen her craft through a variety of somatic approaches, namely yoga and Alexander Technique. 

Emma is a current artist-in-residence with the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons.