Regarded as a “bright soprano” by Opera News, with “vocal abilities, musical intuition, and poise…well beyond her years” by the East Hampton Star, soprano Emily Donato enjoys connecting with audiences through performances of music ranging from the Baroque to works by contemporary composers. Based in Brooklyn, New York, she has performed as a soloist with Musica Viva of New York, the American Symphony Orchestra, and Juilliard415, and has sung under the batons of conductors including Masaaki Suzuki, Simon Carrington, Leon Botstein, David Hill, and Nicholas McGegan. Her operatic credits include Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring at the New England Conservatory; Eurydice in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Eurydice at Bard College; Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Middlebury College; and Gretel in Hansel und Gretel with Diamond Opera Company. A champion of new music, the 2016-2017 season saw Emily sing the world premiere of a one-woman opera, These Walls by Kyle Tieman-Strauss, at the Steinhardt Blackbox at NYU. On the concert stage, Ms. Donato has performed Handel’s Messiah and Alexander’s Feast; Bach’s Magnificat and Johannes-Passion; and Orff’s Carmina Burana.
Since the beginning of her musical training in the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Emily has been passionate about choral repertoire, and has since appeared with world-renowned ensembles such as Bach Collegium Japan; Theatre of Voices; and the Yale School Cantorum, with whom she has participated in forthcoming albums on the Hyperion Label.
Ms. Donato holds her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Bard College, and has studied at the New England Conservatory with Lorraine Nubar. She received her Master of Music from the Yale School of Music, where she studied with tenor James Taylor as a member of the Yale Voxtet.