Ema Mitrovic

This season, Ema made a role and company debut with TUNDI Production’s Wagner in Vermont Festival in the role of Schwertleite (Die Walküre) and covered the role of Erda (Das Rheingold) in August 2022.  Earlier this year, she returned to Central Jersey Choral Society as the Alto Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, made a role debut as Flora in Verdi’s La Traviata with The Lighthouse Opera Co., and had the distinct honor of covering the Alto Soloist, as well as singing in the alto section, in “The Ordering of Moses” with The Harlem Chamber Players and Chorale Le Chateau in celebration of Juneteenth and the Harlem Renaissance Centennial, under the baton of Maestro Damien L Sneed.  The performance was vastly publicized, including on NBC and ABC news, positively reviewed by The New York Times, and broadcast on WQXR Classical Radio.

Despite the strains of the ‘20/’21 pandemic on the artistic world, Ema was thrilled to debut in recital at the esteemed Soapbox Gallery, accompanied by Jason Wirth on piano, for a program celebrating love for Valentine’s Day 2021, live streamed.  Because of the success of the program, she performed a live encore performance at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar in Nyack, NY in late May ‘21 accompanied by David Budway on piano.  Ema has continued building a diverse program of crossover works, singing classical, jazz, and Broadway favorites with Mr. Budway.  Her goal has been to present these diverse programs in recital regularly to introduce audiences to more music in an intimate and informal setting, and to break down the stigmas associated with them, such as the myth of opera being only for the elite.  The Soapbox Gallery invited Ema back when she curated an arias and duets concert with soprano Savannah Greene and Craig Ketter at the piano, works for and about nature and gardens “In the Garden”.  Thrilled to have done so, Ema recorded a commissioned piece, “La Frontera” by Raul Abbad with the New Jersey Youth Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble, under the baton of Maestra Helen Cha-Pyo.  She also made a return to The Lighthouse Opera Company as Annina (La Traviata), both to limited live audience and livestreamed and will also sing Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte) in 2022.  There is already an abridged digital performance of Die Zauberflöte available on YouTube, recorded in the style of a “Zoom Concert”, where performers record audio/video of their individual parts from home and all performers are compiled together in post-production for a final performance.

Ema did debut with The Oratorio Society of New Jersey and performed her second Handel’s Messiah as the alto soloist in December 2020.
In the Spring of 2020, Ms. Mitrović was scheduled to debut in The Bronx Opera Company’s production of The Bartered Bride as Háta, but due to the global pandemic, it is being rescheduled in the foreseeable future.  During quarantine, she has been incredibly fortunate to keep a full studio of roughly 30+ voice and piano students, at both the non-profit The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts and privately owned Elefante Music, among her own.  As avid a performer, Ema also has a passion for teaching, having done so for 7 years thus far, and aspires to hold both an active performance and teaching career.

In 2019, Ema made her debut as the Alto Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra and returned to the Hudson Opera Theatre to sing Mercédès and cover the title of Bizet’s Carmen in April and Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in June.  Both performances were positively reviewed, describing her voice as a “rich, dusky mezzo” and “Ema’s voice is rich and lush, very satisfying to hear” (www.bassobuff.com).  In May, she reprised the title in Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel with New York Performing Arts Theatre.  She was also a semi-finalist in Opera at Florham International Vocal Competition, in collaboration with The Gerda Lissner Foundation.

In the fall of 2018, Ms. Mitrović made her company and role debut with The Lighthouse Opera Theatre in Bronx, NY as Mrs. McLean in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah.  She competed as one of 40 semi-finalists in the 2018 Vermont Vocal Competition hosted by Barn Opera and was invited as a guest artist to sing the role of Hansel in New Jersey City University’s production of Hansel and Gretel, performed in English.  Earlier 2018, Ema returned to Hudson Opera Theatre in the roles of Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor), Annina (La Traviata), and made a work and company debut as the alto soloist in Antonin Dvořák’s Requiem with Central Jersey Choral Society under the baton of Maestro Christopher Loeffler.

During 2017, Ema was seen as Mercédès (Carmen) with Amore Opera, NYC, as the Spirit Mother in The Birth of the Wild Heart by Pamela Stein Lynde and Joule L’Adara with Guided Imagery Opera NYC, and Tisbe (La Cenerentola) in an excerpts concert as well as Third Lady in an abridged performance of Die Zauberflöte with Opera Theatre of Montclair, NJ.  She also performed in works by Anne Phillips’ “What are we doing to Our World?” and “That Certain Age” presented by Chelsea Opera and Kindred Spirits.

In 2016, she was seen as Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus)and Larina (Eugene Onegin) with Hudson Opera Theatre in Monroe, New York and has been distinguished as a core ensemble member in New York City based company, Guided Imagery Opera, in their debut season.  In December of 2015, Ema had the great pleasure of making her debut in the long running Christmas show, A Jazz Nativity-Bending Towards the Light, produced by Kindred Spirits and Chelsea Opera.  During the year, she sang in jazz clubs performing a range of music including jazz and classical repertoire.  In 2014, Ema was a finalist for New Jersey State Opera’s Alfredo Silipigni Vocal Competition, a semi-finalist at the 8th Annual Peter Elvins Vocal Competition, and was a featured artist at the NJ National Association of Teachers of Singing “Festival of Singing” where she performed art songs including composers Bizet, Britten, and Mahler. In 2013, Ms. Mitrović was heard as Siébel in a full production of Gounod’s Faust with Hudson Opera Theatre in Middletown, NY where her performance was reviewed as “idyllic” and “bubbly”. She performed Octavian in the final trio of Der Rosenkavalier with Opera Theatre of Montclair, the roles of Maddalena (Rigoletto) and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) with New York Lyric Opera Theatre and was a finalist in the company’s national vocal competition, Martine in a rarely performed Gounod opera, Le Médecin malgre lui, with Utopia Unlimited Opera Company, and awarded first prize in the advanced lower division of NJ NATS, “Festival of Singing Competition”. In 2012, she performed the title role of Bizet’s Carmen with Concert Opera of Philadelphia, the Abbess and Monitor (Suor Angelica) with Manhattan Opera Theatre, Prince Charming (Cendrillon) and a scenes concert at Carnegie Hall, “Love, Passion and Betrayal” with NY Lyric, and sang the third lady in a quintet from Die Zauberflöte with Chelsea Opera.

Ema has performed versatile programs in different venues, crossing over genres of music, particularly classical and jazz, with hints of Balkan Roma folk music. Ema is no stranger to the jazz community having had the pleasure of studying and performing with Grammy nominated artists Roseanna Vitro, Allen Farnham, Tim Horner, among others, while completing a BM in Voice Performance at New Jersey City University ‘11. She made her solo debut at Small’s Jazz Club in November of 2014 performing both classical and jazz works to a sold-out house.

During her studies at NJCU, Ema was under the tutelage of Metropolitan Opera stars, tenor, Anthony Laciura, and dramatic mezzo-soprano, Sondra Kelly. While at NJCU she performed the roles of Carmen (La Tragédie de Carmen), first witch (Dido Aeneas), Mrs. Gobineau (The Medium), mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Marta (Company), Jack’s Mother (Into the Woods),and the third lady (The Magic Flute).  In 2015-’16, Ema continued studies with mezzo-soprano Adria Firestone and soprano Dr. Donna Zapola-Connolly, specifically in Dramatic Coaching and Vocal Pedagogy.

Ms. Mitrović is a proud first generation American, whose parents immigrated to the states from former Yugoslavia, now Croatia.  She was born and raised in New Jersey, where she currently resides with her family

Personal website – www.emamitrovic.com

Ema Mitrović – WEICHE, WOTAN! WEICHE, Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner

Ema Mitrović – RE DELL’ABISSO AFFRETTATI, Un Ballo in Maschera by Giuseppe Verdi

Ema Mitrović – WAITING, The Great Gatsby by John Harbison