EMILIE KEALANI
SOPRANO
Photographed by Amanda Bottoms
Highlights
Featured in the Soundbites column of OPERA NEWS and a returning guest to PBS WHYY TV-12 programming, Emilie has recieved praise for her crossover work in Candide, Into the Woods and West Side Story.
Making her Opera Philadelphia debut as Corinna in Il viaggio a Reims and originating the role of Mia in Family-Style with the New Works Collective at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis this season, Filipino American soprano Emilie Kealani has been seen in past productions with Staatsoper Stuttgart, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Curtis Opera Theatre, and strives to integrate the music of the Asian diaspora with today's standards as the founder of the
Kawpa Passion Project.
Photographed by Sophia Negron
Passion Project
As the proud Filipina founder of the Kapwa Passion Project, I am motivated to bring AAPI artists together, creating spaces for us to cultivate a shared sense of community through music.
The project ranges from multidisciplinary recitals to panel discussions with artists representing the Bengali, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Tongan communities. Kawpa is featured on PBS WHYY TV-12 in their new Concert Specials Series throughout May 2025 & 2026 to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
"Light, delicate soprano was ideal for the innocent Calisto"
-Heidi Walton of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
"Light, pretty soprano delivered Musetta's music with absolute accuracy
even in moments of high vivacity." - David Shengold of OPERA NEWS
"Kealani demonstrated a joy in singing, an empathy with her outrageous stage personality, and jaw-dropping technique [Cunegonde]..."
-Linda Holt of BROAD STREET REVIEW
"Eindringlich gezeichnet und vokal erfüllt [Jano]..."
(hauntingly drawn and vocally fulfilled)
- Udo Klebers of OPER INTERNATIONAL
"Pure, agile, and lustrous..." -Susan Galbraith of DC THEATRE ARTS
"Displays a silky soprano range as the innocent Calisto,
ascending to celestial heights as she is transformed into a star at the opera's climax."
-David Seward of THEATRE LIFE
"Something truly unique for us to witness..." -Jane Dieckmann of ITHACA TIMES
"Charmingly sung [Sophie]..." -VOCE DI MECHE