Ghanian-American, Tesia Kwarteng has found success in multiple performance mediums. She received bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance and journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington, and her master’s from Manhattan School of Music. She has since gone on to perform at in several word premiers. In Opera Theater of Saint Louis, she performed the role of Bertha in Terrance Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up In My Bones. She would later go on to cover Ruby/Sinner Woman in the Metropolitan Opera production.  At the Glimmerglass Festival, she appeared as a soloist in Beyond Liberty with baritone Thomas Hampson. She has also performed portions of Tania Leon’s Little Rock 9 in the role of Melba Patillo.

Kwarteng was a soloist and ensemble member in the GRAMMY-winning production of Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera. She was also part of the world-premiere cast of Lynn Nottage and Ricky Ian Gordon’s opera Intimate Apparel at Lincoln Center Theatre, playing the role of Mayme. She returned to Lincoln Center to star as  Lady Catherine in the Tony-Nominated 2023 revival of Camelot directed by Bartlett Sher featuring a newly developed book by Emmy Award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin.

As a librettist, Kwarteng collaborated with composer Jasmine Barnes to write the song cycle A Sable Jubilee. The work premiered at the Aspen Music Festival in 2023. The piece was written for baritone Will Liverman, and is featured on Liverman’s album with Jonathan King, Show Me The Way. 

In her work as a recording artist, Kwarteng collaborated once more with composer Terrance Blanchard on the soundtrack for the Academy-Award nominated film, The Woman King starring Viola Davis. Kwarteng led the vocal ensemble Vox Noire for the film’s original score.

-Lucy Koukoudian

This profile was created during the 2023-2024 academic year as part of the Song of America Fellowship Program, a project of the Classic Song Research Initiative between the Hampsong Foundation and the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.