Emma Pennell is a 2-Spirit L'nuk/Mi'kmaq soprano, Dora Award-winning librettist, and creator whose work is redefining what opera can be. Equally at home performing the great operatic repertoire and premiering new works, Pennell has emerged as one of the leading Indigenous voices of their generation.

Like many contemporary people with Indigenous heritage, Emma is a transplant, colonially displaced and raised in the rural community of South River, Ontario. Emma's Mi'kmaq ancestry originates in the Mi'kmaq settlements of Western Newfoundland in the Stephenville and Cornerbrook areas. A proud descendant of Ktaqmkuk Mi'kmaq, Emma's artistry is rooted in a profound belief that opera can be a vehicle for cultural resurgence, human connection, and fearless storytelling. Through performance, writing, and collaboration, they aim to create work that expands the operatic canon, champions Indigenous languages revitalization, and invites audiences into stories that are at once deeply personal and universally human.

Emma is a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio and has quickly established themself as one of Canada's most compelling young singers. Recent and upcoming engagements include performances with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Brott Music Festival, Scotia Festival of Music, and appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival. Their performance of Ana Sokolović's "You Can Die Properly Now" in the Mi'kmaw language based on the research and poetry of Dr. Michelle Sylliboy (We'koqmaq Unama'ki raised)has brought Indigenous language to major concert stages, reflecting a career dedicated to artistry that resonates both culturally and internationally.

As a librettist, Emma received the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Opera for their Cantata "Red Daughters", created with composer Spencer Kryzanowski and part of Against the Grain Theatre's "Canuck Cantatas". Their creative work extends beyond the stage through collaborations in Indigenous language revitalization, interdisciplinary performance, and the development of new Canadian opera.

Emma is a recipient of the RBC Emerging Artist Award, Second Prize in the Canadian Opera Company's Centre Stage Competition and has been featured on CBC' 30 hot classical musicians under 30 list. They hold an Honours Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance with a minor in Indigenous Studies from Western University, an Advanced Diploma from Cambrian College, and an Artist Diploma from The Glenn Gould School before joining the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio.

Whether performing Verdi, Strauss, and Puccini or developing new works with today's leading composers, Emma's artistry is guided by a singular vision: to create opera that is fearless, expansive, and deeply rooted in community while reaching audiences around the world.