Emma McNairy’s 2024/2025 season at Staatstheater Meiningen includes many role debuts such as Venus in the Dresden version of Tannhäuser at the Wartburg Castle, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Avis in Ethel Smyth’s The Wreckers, Télaïre in Castor et Pollux, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Élisabeth de Valois (cover) in Don Carlos, and reprisals of Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Isabella in Una cosa rara. She is also thrilled to perform Marie in Wozzeck in the summer of 2025 with West Edge Opera.

In 2023/2024 Ms. McNairy joined the Ensemble of Staatstheater Meiningen where she sang Lora in Wagner’s Die Feen, Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Johanne in the world premiere of Gespenster by Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen, Isabella in Una cosa rara by Martín y Soler, Cio-Cio San (cover) in Madama Butterfly, and performed Sibelius’ Opus 37 with GMD, Killian Farrell. In May 2024, she won 3rd Prize at the Zenith Opera Competition in Berlin, and in July sang various recitals throughout Finland with her wife, bass-baritone, Sam Taskinen.

During the 2021-2022 season, Ms. McNairy sang Ännchen in Der Freischütz and Elvire in La Muette de Portici by Auber with Staatstheater Kassel. She also performed Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire at the Bucharest National Opera under the baton of Iosif Prunner with the Constantin Silvestri Ensemble. In California, she performed a recital of songs and texts by women with Daniel Lockert and reprised the recital with the addition of Kaija Saariaho’s Mirage with pianist, Giulia Glennon, and cellist, Runa Büsing in cooperation with Staatstheater Kassel in March 2023, where she returned as Ännchen in Der Freischütz. She was also a 2023 finalist in the Zenith Opera Competition.

Other guest engagements include the title role of Haydn's Armida with Victory Hall Opera in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2019 and her Lincoln Center debut with the Mostly Mozart Festival in Bernstein's Mass under the baton of Louis Langrée in 2018. She has also been a guest artist at Oper Kiel (Contessa di Folleville/IL VIAGGIO A REIMS), Stadttheater Gießen (Zerbinetta/ARIADNE AUF NAXOS), Opera Siam (Temple Dancer/MAE NAAK), Livermore Valley Opera (Clorinda/LA CENERENTOLA, Elvira/L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI, Lucia(cover)/LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR), West Edge Opera (Maid/POWDER HER FACE, Ophélie/HAMLET, Poppea/L’INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA, Zerbinetta/ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Lulu/LULU, and Elisabetta/ELISABETTA, REGINA D’INGHILTERRA), Brava! Opera Theater (Lucy/THE TELEPHONE and Laetitia/THE OLD MAID AND THE THIEF), and Silbersee (Poppea/MONTEVERDISH). She sang Carmina Burana in Hamburg's Laeiszhalle and has appeared in concert with Chorus Austin, Cantata Profana, San Jose Symphonic Choir, and with the Friction Quartet.

A member of the Ensemble at Theater Lübeck from 2016/2017 - 2020/2021, Ms. McNairy sang a wide range of roles including Graun's Montezuma as Erissena, Madeleine de Faublas in Ball im Savoy, Dede in Bernstein's A Quiet Place, the title role in Richard van Schoor's world premiere of L'Européenne, Sophie in Werther, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Contessa di Folleville in Il Viaggio a Reims, Mary in Der Ferne Klang, Dalinda in Ariodante, Donna Anna (cover) in Don Giovanni, and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos among others.

Ms. McNairy received a Bachelor of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she performed many leading roles and was a young artist at Music Academy of the West, Opera New Jersey, iSing International Young Artist Program, the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, and participated in Carnegie Hall’s The Song Continues. She received Second Prize in the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition as well as Second Prize in the 7. Internationale Lions Gesangswettbewerbe of the Gut Immling Opernfestival. She also won the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Concerto Competition, First Prize in Berkeley Piano Club's Dorothy Van Waynen Voice Competition, the Ben DeBolt Memorial Award in the Holt Scholarship Competition, First Prize in the Burlingame Music Club Competition, Second Prize in the East Bay Opera League Scholarship Award Competition, First Prize in Art Song and Second Prize in Musical Theater in the San Francisco Bay Area NATS Competition, and Third Prize in the Franco-American Vocal Academy's National Grand Concours de Chant.