Haitian-American soprano Melissa Joseph, praised for her vibrant stage presence, wowed audiences in her debut as Musetta in La Bohème at Opera Philadelphia, earning acclaim from The Washington Post. In 2025, she makes a role and company debut as Mary Louise Smith in She Who Dared with Chicago Opera Theater and joins Newport Classical Opera Festival as soprano soloist in Opera Night: An American Tapestry. In 2024 Melissa debuted with the Washington National Opera as part of their Cartography Project, which highlights new works by contemporary composers. In 2023, she was a Steans Singer Fellow at Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute and returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist, where she covered the title role in Treemonisha and sang the role of Mrs. Gleaton in Susannah. The previous season, she made her OTSL debut as Lily in Tobias Picker’s Awakenings and portrayed Micaëla in Carmen. A graduate of Georgia State University, her roles included Donna Anna, Micaëla, and Pamina.

Melissa has won numerous competition accolades, including the 2024 Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition Grand Finals, an encouragement award from the Gerda Lissner International Voice Competition (2024), and a district win in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (2023). She is also a proud recipient of the Thelma Steward Endowed Artist Alumni Award from the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Passionate about college access, she works for a nonprofit organization that assists students nationwide with financial aid applications. An active member of her church, she participates in many ministries, including the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.