Included in CBC Music’s 2025 edition of “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30,” Canadian soprano Emma Fekete is celebrated for her luminous voice, technical finesse, and stage presence of rare sincerity. A laureate of international competitions, she is building a flourishing career across Europe and Canada, with a repertoire spanning opera, early music, and contemporary projects. Internationally, Emma came to prominence in 2024 as Yniold, praised for her “nightingale-like timbre, a child of the night” [Classykeo], in Pelléas et Mélisande, directed by Katie Mitchell and conducted by Susanna Mälkki at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
This season (2026-2027), Emma sings the title role in Nicolò Isouard’s Cendrillon with Arion Baroque Orchestra, in collaboration with the Palazzetto Bru Zane; appears as soprano soloist in Ein Deutsches Requiem, staged by Opéra de Limoges; and sings Angelo in La Resurrezione with Early Music Vancouver. She also makes her American debut as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and sings Cécile in Daniel Steibelt’s Roméo et Juliette with Les Talens Lyriques at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, in a production recorded for the Bru Zane label.
During the 2025-2026 season, Emma established herself on European and Canadian stages, first as a guest soloist in Le Concert de la reine with Arion Baroque Orchestra, a performance praised by Le Devoir in their article “The Royal Voice of Emma Fekete.” She portrayed Suzanne, “irresistible in her wit and finesse” [ResMusica], in Robinson Crusoé, in a production by Laurent Pelly and Marc Minkowski at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and made her Italian debut at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, where she was praised for a “fervent and remarkably musical” portrayal, “full of wit and mischief” [L’Adige]. Her performance as Berthe in Le Prophète with the Orchestre de chambre de Genève and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées earned praise from the Parisian press and public: “A rich timbre in its diaphanous clarity, with endless shades of colour – and powerful like a sudden flash of lightning” [Classique News]. She ended the season by returning to Opéra de Montréal as Frasquita, praised for her “ravishing clear timbre” (Ôlyrix) in Carmen, before singing Papagena at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón and directed by Clément Cogitore.
Previous highlights include acclaimed performances as Adina in a children’s adaptation of L’elisir d’amore at Opéra de Bordeaux, Opéra de Reims and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, as well as Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Opéra du Royaume.
A familiar presence on Quebec stages, Emma was an artist-in-residence with the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal from 2022 to 2024. She made her Opéra de Montréal debut as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, as well as the title role in L’incoronazione di Poppea and La Bergère in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges with the Atelier lyrique and the Orchestre de l’Agora. She has sung Frasquita in Carmen with Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and Mozart’s Requiem with Orchestre classique de Montréal. She has also performed in recital with the Société d’art vocal de Montréal and appeared in Emily, a theatrical production combining music by Aaron Copland and Ricky Ian Gordon set to poems by Emily Dickinson, at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur.
Alongside her operatic career, Emma is developing a voice and guitar duo with Canadian guitarist Tim Beattie. Their collaboration explores the connections between classical music, folk traditions, and human stories across time and cultures. The duo made its debut at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in 2026, as part of the festival’s “In Search of Humanity” theme, with a recital presented at the Abbaye de Silvacane. The duo strives to develop original repertoire for voice and guitar, combining arrangements, contemporary works, and songs drawn from folk traditions. The project continues to grow through new commissions, collaborations, tours in Canada and Europe, and a first recording.
Emma is a South Carolina District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, a finalist of the Premiere Opera Foundation Award, and a recipient of the 2024 Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award. She has also participated in training and mentorship programs including Jonge Grote Zangers, L’Académie de la Voix at the Fondation des Treilles, the Festival de Lanaudière’s Mentorship Program, and Domaine Forget de Charlevoix.
Emma trained at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees with distinction. During her time in the Netherlands, she worked with OPERA2DAY, De Nederlandse Bachvereniging, and the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, and, as a member of Jonge Grote Zangers, performed at the Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw. She is supported by the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation, Fondation Jeunesses Musicales du Canada, Fondation Père Lindsay, Festival Classica, Opéra de Montréal, and Les Offices jeunesse internationaux du Québec.