Diane Elias

American mezzo-soprano Diane Elias is equally comfortable on both the operatic and concert stages, and is also an avid recitalist.  Her extensive operatic repertory (102 roles and counting) includes roles as varied as the title roles in Carmen and Orfeo, Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte, Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Oktavian in Der Rosenkavalier. Her concert repertory includes the Verdi Requiem, Rossini's Stabat Mater, Mahler's Symphonies 2, 3 & 8, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and 9th Symphony, Handel's Messiah, Brahm's Alto Rhapsody, Bach’s Weihnacht Oratorium, Matthias and Johannes Passions and Mendelssohn's Elijah.  She has performed recitals throughout Europe and the United States.

The 2009 -2010 season of the Metropolitan Opera finds Ms. Elias returning for her fourteenth year and preparing roles in five different operas.  She also maintains private vocal studios in New York City, NY, and Newport Beach, CA.

During her career, she has worked with many leading conductors including James Levine, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Placido Domingo, Julius Rudel, Robert Shaw, James Conlon and Christian Thielemann. Orchestral performances include solo engagements with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, Mozarteum Orchestra, the Rundfunk-Symphonie-Orchestra of the Bayerische Rundfunk, the ORF Orchestra-Wien, the RAI Orchestra-Turin and the Academia Nationale Orchestra-Santa Cecilia-Rome.

Ms. Elias sang with the Vienna Volksoper from 1982-1987, and was the leading mezzo-soprano with the Staatstheater Nürnberg from 1984-1995.  While in Europe she also performed in the opera houses in Graz, Linz, and Salzburg, Austria; Liège, Belgium; Nice, France; Aachen, Bayreuth, Bremen, Coburg, Essen, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Krefeld, Ludwigshafen, Frankfurt, Mainz, Mannheim, Munich, Saarbrucken, and Wiesbaden, Germany; Rome and Turin, Italy; Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Takamatsu, Tokyo and Yokohama Japan; Moscow, Russia and Luxemburg City, Luxemburg. While still a student she made appearances with Texas Opera Theater, Houston Grand Opera and the Indianapolis Opera companies. She sang her American professional Debut at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1996-97 season.

Ms. Elias participated in World Premiere performances of works by Von Einem, Hauer and Rubin, among others.  Her discography includes Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Die Walküre, and the world premiere recording of Salambo.

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