Diane Bolden-Taylor is Professor of Voice and Voice Area Head at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley, Colorado. She completed her undergraduate studies at Millikin University, and her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance at Indiana University. She has also completed coursework requirements for the DMA degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Texas at Austin. For well over 15 years she lived in Europe, where she performed with several major orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the symphony orchestras of Bonn and Palma di Mallorca. Her opera and concert engagements have taken her throughout Europe, India, and Africa. She has performed operatic roles in various opera houses including the Zürich and Basel opera houses in Switzerland, the Bonn and Stuttgart opera houses in Germany, Opera Colorado in Denver and Festa Musica Pro in Asisi, Italy.

Her roles include Mimi in La Boheme, Michaela in Carmen, Bess in Porgy and Bess, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Nedda in Pagliacci, the First Lady in the Magic Flute (performed at the Zurich Opera House, conducted by Ferdinand Leitner), Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutti, Madama Butterfly in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, and Conception in Ravel’s L’heure Espanol. Also among her credits are Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bach’s Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah, Adolphus Hailstork’s Four Spirituals performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Powel Hall, and most standard oratorios and chamber music. These include John Rutter’s Requiem, Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Villa Lobos, and Bruckner’s Te Deum conducted by internationally acclaimed conductor Helmut Rilling.

She performed Karol Ruzicka’s Celebration Mass (written especially for her) at the 1991 International Jazz Festival in Prague, Czechoslovakia. From this genre she also performed Gershwin song recitals throughout Germany, Italy and Holland.

While living in Europe Ms. Bolden-Taylor also performed roles in various operettas such as Annina in J. Strauss’ A Night in Venice, Kurfürstin Marie in Zeller’s Der Vogelhandler, Janka in Dostal’s Hungarische Hochzeit, and Valencienne in Lehar’s The Merry Widow.

She has performed recitals (with song literature spanning four centuries) and voice master classes both in the U.S. and in Europe. In addition to teaching voice, she specializes in teaching foreign language diction classes and performing lecture recitals which focus on the art songs of black composers. She has coordinated and taught voice for Summer Vocal Workshops in the Mid-West that offer instruction in voice, music theory, lyric diction for singers, beginning piano, audition techniques, and stage deportment to middle and high school students.