Haitian-American soprano Melissa Joseph, lauded for being “theatrically vivid and funny” made her debut as Musetta in La Bohème at Opera Philadelphia last spring. The Washington Post hailed her performance to be “show-stopping”. In the summer of 2023, Ms. Joseph was a Steans Singer Fellow at Ravinia Steans Music Institute. She also returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist covering the titular role in Treemonisha (by Scott Joplin and reimagined by Damien Sneed) and sang Mrs. Gleaton in Floyd’s Susannah on the mainstage. Last year, Ms, Joseph made her debut with OTSL as Lily in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s opera Awakenings in their 21-22 season. Cover roles that season included Ruth (Awakenings) and Micaëla (Carmen). As a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelor's and Master’s of Music in Vocal Performance, her roles included Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Micaëla (Carmen), and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte). Previously located in Boston, her debuts included White Snakes Projects, Mass Opera, New England Conservatory Summer Opera Workshop, and New England Opera Intensive. With the virtual transition of programs and competition during the pandemic, Melissa remained an active performer and competitor. She was featured in virtual recitals, the most notable being one curated by Angel Blue highlighting artists internationally. Melissa also performed in the Fort Worth Opera masterclass series for Jennifer Rowley and Martina Arroyo. As an avid competitor, some of Ms. Joseph’s competition achievements include the grand finals of the 2024 Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition, an encouragement award from the Gerda Lissner International Voice Competition (2024), a finalist in the Upper Midwest Region for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (2023), and the Hibbet-Savoca award from the Tri-Cities Opera voice competition which granted her a Resident Artist position where she debuted the role of Sally in Mark Campbell’s Stone Soup (2021). Off-stage, Melissa is passionate about college access work and has served over 10,000 students in the metro-Boston area apply for financial aid for college.