Filipino-American soprano Emilie Kealani originated the role of Mia in Family Style at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and joins OTSL’s 50th season. Praised by The Wall Street Journal for her “delicate” and “ideal” portrayal in La Calisto, Suarez made her international debut with Staatsoper Stuttgart in Jenůfa. A proud Filipina with Hawaiian heritage, she incorporates Kundimans (Tagalog love songs) into her performances and curates Kapwa, a multi-disciplinary event celebrating Asian and AAPI art. Emilie grew up performing with San Francisco Arts Education Project and Bay Area Vocal Academy, holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Manhattan School of Music and is a current Master of Music candidate at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music. She received the inaugural Stephen de Maio Memorial Award from The Gerda Lissner Foundation, and holds titles with Opera Mississippi’s John Alexander National Vocal Competition, The National Shirley Rabb Winston Competition, Schmidt Undergraduate Awards, Beach Blanket Babylon and National YoungArts Foundation.