Coloratura soprano Emily Klassen was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and began her training at the Mount Royal Conservatory of Music, where she received her Diploma in Music Performance.

Her first taste of professional opera experience came at the age of 19 in the Calgary Opera Chorus's performances of Puccini's Tosca and Verdi's Requiem. Her first performance with orchestra was as a soloist in Elizabeth Raum's children's oratorio the Prairie Alphabet Musical Parade.

Emily continued her formal studies at the University of Manitoba, where she studied with world-renowned coloratura Tracy Dahl, while receiving her degree in Music, majoring in Performance.

Following university, Emily moved to Toronto, where she has appeared in many productions, including in the role of Adrianna in Tryp Tych's The Boys from Syracuse by Rodgers and Lorenz, the role of Casilda in Toronto Operetta Theatre's The Gondoliers by Gilbert & Sullivan and The Queen of the Night in Summer Opera Lyric Theatre's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute. Emily also performed the soprano role in the contemporary opera, We Shall Overcome by Canadian composer Scott Good at the Convergence of Art and Science Global Health Perspectives Conference at the Hart House.

Away from Toronto, Emily has appeared in Edmonton's prestigious Opera Nuova Summer Opera Program; as Peaseblossom in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream; in Italy at the highly regarded Spoleto Vocal Arts Academy where she performed the role of Eurydice in an excerpt from Offenbach's Orphée aux enfers under director Kay Walker Castaldo; and most recently in scenes from Cavalli's La Calisto in the role of Calisto, and Verdi's Falstaff in the role of Nanetta, all at the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy in London, Ontario.

Emily's other love - acting - has led to two films with the Canadian Film Centre, "Bigg Job" and "Odysseus and the Sea Nymphs", as well as the independent film "Gone" with DVision Productions.

She was delighted to combine her musical and on-screen interests while playing the role of a missing opera singer in an episode of the Lifetime Network series "Angela's Eyes", by the same the producers of the Oscar-winning film "Crash". Emily has also acted in the acclaimed TV series "Flashpoint."