The Boston Phoenix praised baritone Emery Stephens for singing "with ringing suavity and articulate intelligence." His performances include collaborations with the Boston Art Song Society, Bridge Chamber Music Festival, Handel & Haydn Society, Abridged Opera of Ontario, Wilmington Symphony, Arbor Opera Theater, Michigan Philharmonic, Ann Arbor Symphony, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera New England, and the Detroit Jazz Festival. Notably, he participated in a revival of Dave Brubeck's The Gates of Justice, sponsored by the Detroit Jazz Festival, alongside jazz pianist Jason Moran and his trio, The Bandwagon.
His role as Brother Dosher in the blues opera De Organizer, which features music by James P. Johnson and lyrics by Langston Hughes, was recorded for Naxos Music. Additionally, he has performed works by contemporary American composers, including the world premiere of JFK: The Voice of Peace by Dan Welcher, The Passion of John Brown by Jesse Ayers, Paddle to the Sea by Andre Meyers, Sweet Music in Harlem by Andy Kirschner, and True Witness: A Civil Rights Cantata by Jodi Goble.
The Boston Globe wrote that "As Mel in Michael Tippett's opera, The Knot Garden, Stephens disappeared entirely into his character. As a singing actor, he worked with notable directors such as Elkhanah Pulitzer and Dorothy Danner, as well as choreographer Bill T. Jones. He was a Northeast regional finalist in the Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition and sang in masterclasses for international opera professionals Nico Castel and Martina Arroyo. Additionally, he was a freelance choral member of Boston's Grammy-winning Handel & Haydn Society and joined the Boston Early Music Festival in performances of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo at Harvard University.
His experience as a teaching artist includes community engagement projects with the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Lyric Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre (now Detroit Opera). During the summer at the University of Michigan, he is a faculty member of the Singing Down the Barriers Institute. Dr. Stephens also serves as a master teacher for the Hampsong Foundation, an organization founded by baritone Thomas Hampson, which uses American music to engage K-12 students in literature, history, and social studies. His past engagements with the Hampsong Foundation include lecture performances at Carnegie Hall/Weill Music Institute, Fenimore Art Museum, and the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture sponsored by the Spokane Symphony.
He has presented at national meetings for the College Music Society, the International Congress of Voice Teachers, the Race & Pedagogy Conference, and the African American Art Song Alliance. His research on Black composers' works and thier place in the classical canon for voice teachers and students appears in the Journal of Singing, Music Teachers National Association Journal, the Scholarship of Multicultural Teaching and Learning, and as a contributing author of So You Want to Sing Spirituals by Randye Jones, and a book Singing Down the Barriers: A Guide to Centering African American Song for Concert Performers with co-author Caroline Helton. He also served as a lecturer, vocal coach, and recital curator for the MN Duo Program in 2025.
Dr. Stephens grew up in Boston, holds a B.A. from Gordon College, an M.M. from Boston University, and a D.M.A. from the University of Michigan. He studied vocal techniques with Lisa Popeil and taught at universities in North Carolina, Michigan, and Arkansas. He is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the College Music Society.