BIO

Dianna Ruggiero, Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano has been acclaimed for her “winning and vivacious stage presence.” A performer of immense energy and excitement, she has been recognized for her “opulent mezzo-soprano” and her “warm, velvety tone.” She has gained a reputation for her versatility, being at home in opera, oratorio, concert and musical theatre.

Born in Washington, D.C and raised in the exotically cultural cities of Cairo, Karachi, Delhi, Rome, Seoul and London, Dianna began to sing at an early age. She returned to the United States and attended Beverly Hills High School where she was a member of the prestigious and award winning Beverly Hills High School Madrigal Singers. Dianna attended California Institute of the Arts with a full tuition scholarship for both her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts Degrees.

Immediately after graduation, she moved to New York and auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera Studio. She was accepted and performed extensively in New York with the Metropolitan Opera Studio, Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera. Her teacher at this time was the great American Metropolitan Opera Mezzo-Soprano and voice teacher, Margaret Harshaw. Dianna performed such roles as Cherubino in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” Siebel in “Faust,” Stephano in “Roméo and Juliette,” Maddalena in “Rigoletto,” Suzuki in “Madama Butterfly,” and Dorabella in “Così Fan Tutte.” She was invited to study in Italy with the internationally renowned Mezzo-Soprano, Giuletta Simionato. While living in Italy, Dianna sang extensively with opera companies throughout Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland in leading mezzo-soprano roles such as Carmen in “Carmen,” Laura in “La Gioconda,” Santuzza in “Cavalleria Rusticana,” the Composer in “Adriadne auf Naxos,” Octavian in “Der Rosenkavalier,” Amneris in “Aida,” Eboli in “Don Carlo,” Azucena in “Il Trovatore,” Dalila in “Samson et Dalila” and Venus in “Tannhäuser.”

Dianna has been teaching voice since her college days as a vocal teaching assistant at California Institute of the Arts. She has taught master classes at NYU, Hunter College, The Verdi Conservatory, Vienna Conservatory, Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome and each year at the Summer Academy for Lyric Opera San Diego.

Dianna lives in San Diego and has performed with the San Diego Master Chorale, La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, North Coast Symphony and Lyric Opera San Diego in such roles as Manja in “Countess Martiza,” the The Old Lady in “Candide,” Ruth in “The Pirates of Penzance,” The Duchess of Plaza Toro in “The Gondoliers,” Domina in “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” and Madame Dubonnet in “The Boyfriend.”

For the last several years, she has worked with the Speech and Swallowing Clinic at Scripps Memorial Hospital located in La Jolla, California as a Singing Voice Specialist. She works in collaboration with speech therapists to rebuild voices after vocal injury and re-establish proper singing technique with both professional and non-professional singers.

Dianna has a private vocal studio and is one of San Diego’s leading voice teachers. Her students sing with opera companies, on Broadway, national tours, in jazz clubs and professional musical theatre companies throughout California and the United States. She has been a member of the National Assocation of Teachers of Singing since 1995. She is also a member of Actors’ Equity and American Guild of Musical Artists. She has been nominated to be in “Who’s Who is America” and “Who’s Who in the American Arts.”