Manna KnJoi, Soprano

Manna Knjoi, American Soprano, made her international stage debut as Fiordiligi in Cosí fan tutte at the Tuscia Opera Festival in Italy. An artist of great versatility, she made her Broadway debut in the hit concert, Rocktopia,a Classical Revolution. An active soloist on the concert stage, she has impressed audiences coast to coast in performances with Opera Ebony, Colour of Music Festival, Harlem Opera and Trilogy: An Opera Company. Career highlights include riveting title-role portrayals of Cio-cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at Carnegie Hall and Suor Angelica with the California Opera Association. Additionally, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Micaëla in Carmen at Lincoln Center. She is known for her renderings of prominent black women such as Margaret Washington, wife of Booker T. Washington, Nancy Turner, mother of slave rebellion leader, Nat Turner, and Elizabeth Eckford of the Little Rock Nine, all by Black composers. Manna’s honors include awards and recognitions from: Riccardo Zandonai International, Paris Opera, Benjamin Mathews, Opera Birmingham, Art Song Preservation Society, International Thespian Festival, American Prize for Opera, Palm Springs Opera Guild, and Mid-South District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.