On today’s episode of Creative Space,  we have the pleasure of chatting with Melissa Joseph, an opera singer who is making her debut as Musetta in Opera Philadelphia’s spring production of La Boheme, which premieres this Friday.

Over the course of her career so far, she’s been awarded the Kristin Lewis Foundation Young Artist Award, was a 3rd place winner in Orchestra Noir International Virtuoso Concerto Competition, a Top 10 Finalist in the Franco-American Vocal Academy (FAVA) Grand Concours Competition, as well as a recent district winner of the Minnesota District Met Competition.

We cover a range of topics, including growing up in an immigrant household, her Haitian heritage, the role faith has played in her career, being accepted as a black soprano and of course, what it’s like working with Opera Philadelphia.

For more on Melissa Joseph, visit: melissajosephsings.com.

To purchase tickets to La Boheme, visit: operaphila.org. 

To sign up for the weekly Creative Space newsletter, visit: eepurl.com/h8SJ9b.

SHOW NOTES:

0:00—Introduction

1:13—What is a lyric soprano?

2:45—Growing up in Atlanta in a Haitian household

4:35—The fifth love language

6:12—The resilience her parents taught her

7:15—All it takes is one yes

8:27—The influence of Marian Anderson

9:20—Learning to balance pressure with grace

12:39—What is an art song?

15:06—Melissa’s definition of creativity

16:30—The role faith plays in her career

22:09—The day-to-day life of an opera singer

23:00—Being an artist and having a day job

27:00—Giving yourself time to rest

28:00—The greatest challenge she’s faced so far

29:00—The greatest rewards

30:30—Making her Opera Philadelphia debut

34:14—Melissa’s favorite scene in La Boheme

36:45—Being accepted as a black soprano

37:15—Where is opera going in the next 10 years?

38:30—What’s next for Melissa