She was born in the USA. She studied vocals at the Ohio State University and continued her studies at the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She has collaborated with the American symphony orchestras of Chicago, Youngstown and West Virginia. She has appeared, among others, at the Washington National Opera, the Florida Grand Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Los Angeles Opera, the Vancouver Opera and the Pitsburgh Opera. She has worked with famous conductors, such as Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev, James Conlon, Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, etc. In 2007-08, she debuted as Isolde in the opera Tristan und Isolde (Los Angeles Opera) and as Leonora in the opera Fidelio (Opera Roanoke). Her repertoire also includes the roles of Norma [Norma], Tosca [Tosca], Leonora [Il trovatore], Elisabetta [Don Carlo], Contessa Almaviva [Le nozze di Figaro], Dona Anna [Don Giovanni], Fiordiligi [Così fan tutte], Ariadne [Ariadne auf Naxos], Manon Lescaut [Manon Lescaut], Elektra [Elektra], Minnie [The Girl of the West/La fanciulla del West], Senta [The Flying Dutchman//Der fliegende Holländer], and Elisabeth [Tannhäuser]. She has received three American awards for achievement in opera. She has recorded the operas Turandot and Six Characters in Search of an Opera. She collaborated with the GNO on one occasion, interpreting the eponymous role in the opera Turandot at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus [""Herodion""] in 2007-08. This was her first European appearence in that role.