Emorja Roberson is a conductor, vocalist, and composer who specializes in classical and gospel music. After obtaining his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of North Florida (’13), he began his graduate experience at the University of Notre Dame. In 2017, Roberson graduated as the first African-American to obtain a Master of Sacred Music in Vocal Performance (’17).
In 2019, he made his national debut on Season 9 of BET’s Sunday Best competition as a top 20 contestant and served as the choir director for Kathleen Battle’s The Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey tour with the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame. In April 2022, he premiered his oratorio, BE-SPOKEN, featuring Anthony Walker, King Chav, HarRell D. Young, Donishisa Ballard, and Ledisi. On June 30, 2022, Roberson became the first African-American to receive a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Notre Dame.
Roberson is a 2022 recipient of the Future of Music Faculty Fellowship with Cleveland Institute of Music.
He is currently the Assistant Professor of Music and African American Studies at Oxford College of Emory University.
