Ashley Emerson

Ashley Emerson is an American soprano renowned for her clear, soaring voice and disciplined technique. Born on April 20, 1984 in Bangor, Maine, she is the daughter of Robert and Beth Emerson and graduated from Bangor High School before pursuing vocal studies at the University of Southern Maine School of Music. Her early years were marked by intensive training that prepared her for a breakthrough debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2007, where she sang in the bridesmaids' choir for Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Over the next few years she accumulated more than 55 performances at the Met, quickly establishing herself as a reliable and expressive artist. By 2011 she had already become a familiar face on the Met stage, showcasing a blend of technical precision and emotional nuance that would define her subsequent career.

Since her debut, Emerson has taken on a wide array of leading roles, including Alice in Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Young Amelia in Daron Hagen’s Amelia, and Papagena in Mozart’s The Magic Flute under James Levine’s baton with Julie Taymor’s staging. She has also dazzled audiences in Donizetti’s L'elisir d'amore, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw with the Dallas Opera, and as Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel at Seattle Opera, among many others. Critics, such as those at Opera News, describe her vocal technique as “immaculate, concentrated and sweet,” especially when she ascends into the upper register. In addition to her performing schedule, Emerson shares her expertise as a vocal instructor at the University of South Carolina School of Music, shaping the next generation of singers. She is married to American tenor Dominic Armstrong, and the couple resides in New York City.