Ema Nikolovska - About

I am incredibly thankful for my BBT Award, which encourages me to dream big, to examine my values and creative impulses anew; this type of imaginative space can be rare to experience, especially when one is in the early stages of a career.

A spirited musical adventurer with a voice that is “focused, rich and velvety” (Classical Voice America), Ema brings her vitality and compelling powers of interpretation and communication to every role she undertakes. Of Macedonian-Canadian origin, she is based in Berlin and performs to critical acclaim in many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses and concert halls. With a repertoire reaching from Purcell to Benjamin, and a great deal in between, she is also a keen performer of new works. Composers are undoubtedly inspired by her dramatic skills, combined with her technically-assured and expressively nuanced voice that gives life to characters and ideas. Ema performed with fellow-BBT alumnus, Sean Shibe, as part of BBT’s 20th anniversary celebrations at London’s Wigmore Hall.

With the support of her BBT award, Ema has commissioned a song cycle, The Lake, from Errollyn Wallen, a reflection and response to Schubert’s Schwanengesang. She has also collaborated with Cassandra Miller to create an imaginatively complex work, Dream Memorandum/It Reminded Me of the Truth, which was premiered as part of the brilliantly inventive Orlando project, conceived and performed with BBT alumnus Sean Shibe. BBT also supported Ema’s investment in a photographic portfolio and the design of a vibrant first website.

Ema has been supported with a BBT Award since 2022.

For a current biography please visit askonasholt.com

Press Release: The Orlando Project

Photographs by Marco Borggreve and Simon Weir