She was born in California, US in 1961. She studied voice under Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in the US and Salzburg. Her career began after she won first prize in a singing competition; she debuted in 1984, as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, directed by Ruth Berghaus for the Bavarian State Opera. She made her USA debut in 1984 as Marie (La fille du régiment) in Florida. She has since sung baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary repertoire. She excelled in the coloratura soprano repertoire. She has appeared in major opera houses internationally, including: Opéra Bastille, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie Brussels, Royal Opera House London, English National Opera, Dutch National Opera, as well as in Beijing and Australia. She made her Metropolitan Opera New York debut in the title role of Lulu, and sang again at the MET in 2008 as Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte). She has repeatedly performed roles in operas by Richard Strauss, such as Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos) in Munch, Japan and Vienna; Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) at Place du Châtelet Paris; and, Aminta (Die schweigsame Frau) in Palermo. She has collaborated with leading orchestras for concerts in Europe and North America, in works by Carl Orff, Händel, Mozart, Haydn, Bach and Mahler. She has sung under renowned conductors, such as John Eliot Gardiner, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, James Levine, etc. Some of her performances in operas by Mozart and Gluck have been recorded by various labels (Archiv / DG, Glossa, Berlin Classics, Telarc, Koch, EMI / Angel). She collaborated with the GNO in the production of Die Zauberflöte, singing the role of The Queen of the Night (Olympia Theatre, 1997/98). // Last update of the biography: April 2004 - The list of the productions below is complete.