Diana Newman

Soprano

"Particularly outstanding in the roles of Carmen’s girlfriends are soprano Diana Newman as Frasquita and mezzo Lindsay Metzger as Mercedes, whose vocal prowess also is matched by their ability to move with great style."

-Chicago Sun-TImes

official website: www.diananewmansoprano.com

American soprano DIANA NEWMAN brings fresh and intense performances to opera houses and concert stages across the United States. Currently in her third year at the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, she appears on the company’s mainstage this season as the Page in Verdi’s Rigoletto, a role she debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl. Following her performances in 2016 as Woglinde in Das Rheingold for Chicago’s Ring cycle, she returns for the Lyric’s 2018/19 season in November as Woodbird in Wagner’s Siegfried, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Additional upcoming performances include her house and role debuts as Micaëla in Carmen with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under Music Director Ward Stare, as well as her mainstage debut at The Dallas Opera in the fall of 2019.

During her tenure at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Diana has performed the roles of Frasquita in Carmen, Pedro in Don Quichotte, Clorinda in La Cenerentola, and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, in addition to covering the roles of Gilda in Rigoletto, Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles, Despina in Cosi fan tutte, and Amore in Orphée et Eurydice. She has appeared in the title role of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with The USC Thornton School of Music Opera Program, where she also performed leading roles as Miranda in Hoiby’s The Tempest, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi.

On the concert stage, Diana has recently appeared as a soloist in Maria Schneider’s Winter Morning Walks at the Lucerne Festival, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Eastern Sierra Symphony Summer Festival, and Vivaldi’s Gloria in Havana, Cuba. Additional concerts include Mozart’s Exsultate jubilate with the USC Alumni Orchestra, Bach’s “Coffee” Cantata with the Whittier Bach Festival, and Mahler’sSymphony no. 4 in her debut with the American Youth Symphony. Her debut with the Grant Park Music Festival came in 2016, appearing as Curly’s Wife in Floyd’s Of Mice and Men.

Committed to the performance of art song and new works, Diana has attended numerous programs including the Ravinia Festival Steans Music Institute, SongFest, and the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar run by Stephanie Blythe. In 2014 she performed at Carnegie Hall in a master class led by legendary mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig as part of the Marilyn Horne Song Continues series. She performed George Crumb’s Madrigals Book IV at Music Academy of the West, Frank Ticheli’s Songs of Love and Life and Angels in the Architecture with the UT New Music Ensemble, and Lukas Foss’s Time Cycle with faculty members of the Aspen Music Festival, where she also covered the role of Daisy Buchanan in John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby. She has given multiple premieres of works by living composers, including Francesco Cilluffo, Dr. Alan L. Smith, and David Newman. 

As a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Diana’s voice has been featured in a number of Hollywood films. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the USC Thornton School of Music, where she studied with Elizabeth Hynes. She currently studies with Patricia McCaffrey in New York.