Soprano Diana Stoic is a Chicago-area native who is garnering acclaim on opera and concert stages in Illinois and throughout the Midwest. For her portrayal of Cunegonde in Candide with the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Stoic was described as “utterly luminous.”
Ms. Stoic performs with many local opera companies in the Chicago-area, most recently with Third Eye Theatre Ensemble where she “impressed with flexible and glittering soprano and dramatically etched a deeply emotive portrayal of Patience” in Paula M. Kipper's opera Patience and Sarah. She has also performed with Petite Opera Productions, Music Theater Works, The Savoy-aires, and Chicago Fringe Opera.
Among her highest achievements, Ms. Stoic appeared in the ensemble of The Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. She will return to the Lyric stage in the fall of 2021 in the chorus of Macbeth.
She has sung extensively with Des Moines Metro Opera, performing mainstage roles in their productions of Le nozze di Figaro and Tosca. With DMMO she has covered leading roles including Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Alexandra in Blitzstein’s Regina.
A frequent soloist with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Stoic has performed a program of Czech songs and arias, Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5, and the roles of Sandman/Dew Fairy in concert performances of Hansel and Gretel. Most recently she has performed Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Oneota Valley Orchestra in Decorah, Iowa. She has also performed with the Mount Prospect Community Band, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Illinois Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Sinfonietta, Musica Lumina, and Salt Creek Chamber Orchestra. She is a member of the Lira Ensemble, the nation’s only professional organization specializing in Polish music.
In addition to her operatic work, Ms. Stoic is an avid recitalist. She has appeared in recital at numerous colleges and universities, including Mount Mercy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Governors State University (University Park, Illinois), and the Lisker Music Foundation. She is in the process of planning a recital showcasing her Romanian heritage by utilizing songs written exclusively by Romanian composers.
Ms. Stoic is passionate about introducing young audiences to opera and educating them about classical music. She has participated in outreach programs with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Opera Santa Barbara, OPERA Iowa, Opera for the Young, Chicago Opera Playhouse, and as a teaching artist with Chicago Opera Theatre’s “Opera for All” Program.
For the past five years Diana has been sharing her voice through the Songs By Heart Foundation, aiming to improve the quality of life of persons with memory loss through the language and joy of music. She works as an interactive performer at six different locations in the NW suburbs, impacting the greatest number of people as possible. The work has been among the most rewarding of her entire performing career.
She completed her Masters of Music from the Chicago College of Performing Arts and received her Bachelor of Music from Simpson College (Indianola, IA). Ms. Stoic has received numerous awards from the Bel Canto Foundation and was a winner in the 2012 Opera Idol Competition.
She currently lives in Mount Prospect, IL with her husband, bass-baritone Dan Richardson, and sons Maxwell, and George.
View Resume
Ms. Stoic performs with many local opera companies in the Chicago-area, most recently with Third Eye Theatre Ensemble where she “impressed with flexible and glittering soprano and dramatically etched a deeply emotive portrayal of Patience” in Paula M. Kipper's opera Patience and Sarah. She has also performed with Petite Opera Productions, Music Theater Works, The Savoy-aires, and Chicago Fringe Opera.
Among her highest achievements, Ms. Stoic appeared in the ensemble of The Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. She will return to the Lyric stage in the fall of 2021 in the chorus of Macbeth.
She has sung extensively with Des Moines Metro Opera, performing mainstage roles in their productions of Le nozze di Figaro and Tosca. With DMMO she has covered leading roles including Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Alexandra in Blitzstein’s Regina.
A frequent soloist with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Stoic has performed a program of Czech songs and arias, Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5, and the roles of Sandman/Dew Fairy in concert performances of Hansel and Gretel. Most recently she has performed Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Oneota Valley Orchestra in Decorah, Iowa. She has also performed with the Mount Prospect Community Band, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Illinois Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Sinfonietta, Musica Lumina, and Salt Creek Chamber Orchestra. She is a member of the Lira Ensemble, the nation’s only professional organization specializing in Polish music.
In addition to her operatic work, Ms. Stoic is an avid recitalist. She has appeared in recital at numerous colleges and universities, including Mount Mercy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Governors State University (University Park, Illinois), and the Lisker Music Foundation. She is in the process of planning a recital showcasing her Romanian heritage by utilizing songs written exclusively by Romanian composers.
Ms. Stoic is passionate about introducing young audiences to opera and educating them about classical music. She has participated in outreach programs with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Opera Santa Barbara, OPERA Iowa, Opera for the Young, Chicago Opera Playhouse, and as a teaching artist with Chicago Opera Theatre’s “Opera for All” Program.
For the past five years Diana has been sharing her voice through the Songs By Heart Foundation, aiming to improve the quality of life of persons with memory loss through the language and joy of music. She works as an interactive performer at six different locations in the NW suburbs, impacting the greatest number of people as possible. The work has been among the most rewarding of her entire performing career.
She completed her Masters of Music from the Chicago College of Performing Arts and received her Bachelor of Music from Simpson College (Indianola, IA). Ms. Stoic has received numerous awards from the Bel Canto Foundation and was a winner in the 2012 Opera Idol Competition.
She currently lives in Mount Prospect, IL with her husband, bass-baritone Dan Richardson, and sons Maxwell, and George.
View Resume