EMORJA ROBERSON is the first African-American to receive a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Notre Dame (’22) and the first to obtain a Master of Sacred Music in Vocal Performance (’17). 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.

He was awarded the 2021 Academic Freedom Award from the Department of Africana Studies and the 2022 Sr. Jean Lenz Award for his leadership that promotes a more diverse, inclusive campus community for all students. Roberson recently premiered his oratorio, BE- SPOKEN, which highlights the experiences of the Black experience through jazz, hip-hop, and gospel. The debut cast consisted of Anthony Walker, King Chav, and Grammy-Award winner, Ledisi. 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.