Diane Coloton

Biography

Syracuse native Diane Coloton joined the Department of Drama as a singing instructor in 2017 after decades of teaching and performing in the Midwest and East.

A performer of opera, musical theater, art song and chamber works, her three degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music span 30 years: doctor of music in voice performance and literature (2006); M.M. in voice performance; and B.M. in piano performance. Coloton won third prize in Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Great Lakes Region) and received a Fulbright Grant to study piano in Vienna, Austria, following her bachelor’s degree. Cutting her opera teeth in leading roles at Indiana University’s famed opera theater, she apprenticed with Des Moines Metro Opera.

Locally, Coloton was soloist with the Syracuse Symphony under conductor Christopher Keene in Beethoven’s “Fidelio” and “Ninth Symphony” and at Artpark in “Elektra.” Staged performances include Puccini’s “Mimì” and Verdi’s “Violetta” (Oswego Opera Theater). Oratorio solo appearances include Verdi’s “Requiem,” Mozart’s “Mass in C Minor,” Handel’s “Messiah” and Rossini’s “Stabat Mater.” She gave a solo recital as part of St. Bartholomew’s Great Music in the Chapel series, New York City.

Other opera roles include “Musetta” (Opera St. Paul); “Tosca” and “Donna Elvira” (Opera at Noon, New York City); Offenbach’s “Fleurette” (Opera Ensemble of New York); and several roles as a student at the Jacobs School of Music. Recent musical theater roles are the Old Lady in Bernstein’s “Candide” and Sondheim’s Desirée and Madame Armfeldt in “A Little Night Music.” Specializing in 20th/21st century vocal music, Coloton has performed Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire” several times, including at the Pulitzer Foundation of St. Louis with members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Coloton retired from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, having held previous posts at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, The University of Oklahoma Norman, SUNY Oswego, Baylor University and her alma mater. Her former students include music educators throughout American universities and high schools, as well as performers in opera, concert and musical theater.

Education

• D.M., M.M., B.M., Indiana University

Areas of Expertise

Classical and musical theater singing, 20th/21st century vocal music