Ruth Ann Swenson is recognized as one of the leading artists of our day and has won critical and public accolades internationally in theaters including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera National de Paris, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Berlin State Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Hamburg State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, among many others. She is praised as an artist with an instrument of uncommon warmth and beauty matched by dazzling technical abilities. Ms. Swenson has been especially identified in dramatic coloratura roles such as the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Elvira in I Puritani, Gilda in Rigoletto, Ilia in Idomeneo and Juliette in Roméo et Juliette.

In recent seasons, she has greatly expanded her repertoire performing Manon with Michigan Opera Theatre, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and in Paris, Violetta in La Traviata in Chicago, New York, London, Barcelona, San Francisco, and Athens, Maria Stuarda with Opera Orchestra of New York (OONY) under Eve Queler at Carnegie Hall, and Amina in La Sonnambula at Teatro Sao Carlos in Lisbon and with OONY. In 2002, she made her role debut as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare with the San Francisco Opera, followed by her return to the Salzburg Festival for her first performances of Elena in La Donna del Lago, a role she also performed with OONY at Carnegie Hall. She made her Italian stage debut as Pamira in Rossini’s Le Siège de Corinthe at the Pesaro Festival. In the 2003-2004 Season, she performed her first Amelia in Simone Boccanegra with the Dallas Opera, Mimi in La Bohème with the Pittsburgh Opera, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Giulietta in I Capuleti ed I Montecchi in Paris. In the 2004-2005 Season, she added two new roles to her repertoire –appearing in the title role of Verdi’s Luisa Miller for the Dallas Opera, and Marguerite in Faust for the Pittsburgh Opera. In 2005-2006, she made role debuts as Micaëla in Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera, and the title role in Rodelinda with the Dallas Opera.

Most recent engagements from the past two seasons include a return to the San Francisco Opera as Ginevra in Handel’s Ariodante, marking her 25th anniversary with the company, as well as a concert performance of Maria Stuarda in Lyon and Paris, The Merry Widow for the Dallas Opera, Marguerite in Faust at the Cincinnati Opera, her debut with the Dayton Opera in The Art of Ruth Ann Swenson Gala, and a triumphant return to the Metropolitan Opera as Marguerite in Faust, Violetta in La Traviata, and Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare. In the 2008-2009 Season, engagements for Ms. Swenson included Adalgisa in Norma with the Baltimore Opera and Palm Beach Opera, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Next, she returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Musetta in La Bohème and returns to the Palm Beach Opera for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony., among other engagements to be announced.

Ms. Swenson made her professional debut with the San Francisco Opera as Despina in Cosi fan Tutte, and has been a yearly visitor to the company in most of her signature roles: Lucia, Gilda, Juliette, Adina, Pamina, Manon, Cleopatra, Countess, and Violetta, as well as in productions of rarely performed works including Handel’s Orlando with Marilyn Horne, Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine opposite Placido Domingo (available on DVD), Ophelia in Hamlet, and the title role in Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe.

She debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1991 as Zerlina in Don Giovanni under James Levine, and returned each subsequent season in numerous roles including Gilda, Adina, Juliette, Manon, Mimi, Violetta, Micaëla, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Elvira in I puritani, the three heroines in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Princess in Ravel’s L'enfant et les Sortilèges, Liu in Turandot, and two new productions: Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and Lucia di Lammermoor.

She has also been heard at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Norina in Don Pasquale, Nannetta in Falstaff, Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress and The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe, as well as Violetta and Contessa Almaviva. She has sung Lucia, Rodelinda, Norina, Susanna and Amelia in Simon Boccanegra for the Dallas Opera, Lucia and Rosina with the Washington National Opera, and Pamina and Ilia with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto.

In Europe, she debuted at the Grand Théâtre de Genève as Despina in Così fan Tutte, where she returned as Norina and Elvira in I Puritani. She was then invited to appear at all of the important European theaters: Gilda at the Berlin State Opera and Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Eurydice in Orphée in Paris, and Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Bavarian State Opera and Vienna State Opera, where she was also heard as Gilda. She made a sensational debut at the Royal Opera Covent Garden in 1996 in the title role of Handel’s Semele, later returning for a revival of this work and as Violetta. In addition, Ms. Swenson has been a frequent guest to the Opera National, Paris in roles including Gilda, Susanna, Manon, Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Giulietta in I Capuleti ed I Montecchi. She has also received acclaim at the Hamburg State Opera, Salzburg Festival, Munich Staatsoper, Schwetzingen Festival, Netherlands Opera, and in Florence, Cologne, Hamburg, Barcelona, Lisbon, Bilbao, and Athens.

In concert, she has appeared with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, among others with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Christoph von Dohnanyi, and Micheal Tilson Thomas.

Ms. Swenson’s discography includes 4 definitive solo albums – Con Amore, Italian Opera Arias with Julius Rudel conducting the London Symphony Orchestra (EMI); Endless Pleasure: Handel and Mozart Arias (Angel Records); an album of art songs entitled i carry your heart (Angel Records); and Positively Golden – Coloratura Arias with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Angel Records).

She is featured as Musetta on the complete recording of La Bohème opposite Roberto Alagna with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London (EMI), as well as the complete recording of Roméo et Juliette (Juliette), opposite Placido Domingo (BMG), and the studio recording of Kismet portraying Marsinah, with Samuel Ramey and the London Symphony Orchestra (Sony Classical). She can also be heard on EMI’s recording entitled Opera Gala with Placido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.