Carla Dirlikov was recently described by Opera Magazine as having “…the most compelling voice of the evening, one that grabbed the heartstrings with its dramatic force and musicality.” She is fast gaining recognition for her vocal and theatrical versatility on the operatic stage and in concert, and has recently made several important debuts both in the US and in Europe.

Ms. Dirlikov began the 2007-2008 season singing Cherubino in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro under the direction of Jonathan Eaton with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. She made her Kennedy Center debut as the alto soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Metropolitan Chorus, and also performed the work with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. In December, Ms. Dirlikov made her European debut as the mezzo soloist in Rossini's Stabat Mater and Beethoven's Kantate auf den Tod Kaiser Josephs II at the Spoleto Festival, under the direction of Maestro Steven Mercurio. This concert was recorded and televised on RAI, and will be released later this year. Following this she was featured as alto soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. This spring Ms. Dirlikov was named the recipient of the David and Ingrid Kosowsky Award at the Palm Beach Opera Competition, where she performed in the finals concert with orchestra under Maestro Carlo Palleschi.

In the summer of 2008, Ms. Dirlikov made her European opera debut singing the role of Principessa Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo with the Opera Royal de Wallonie in Belgium. She will also cover the role of Preziosilla in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino at the Caramoor Festival, and will perform in several concerts there. Engagements for the 2008-2009 season include Maddalena in Rigoletto with Knoxville Opera, guest soloist for the Opera de Montreal’s Annual Gala Concert, and Flora in La Traviata with New Orleans Opera.

Ms. Dirlikov’s stage credits include the title role in Carmen with the Summer Opera Lyric Theater in Toronto, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Annapolis Opera, Maddalena in Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix at the Caramoor Festival, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Banff Center, Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte with Pellegrini Opera, Flora in La Traviata with Opera Roanoke, and Julie Riel in the Canadian Opera Louis Riel at the Montreal Place des Arts. With Opera McGill she sang Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Penelope in Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, Mère Marie in Dialogue des Carmelites, and Ms. Todd in Old Maid and the Theif.

Ms. Dirlikov has also performed extensively as a soloist in Mexico, giving recitals in Mexico City at the National Center for the Arts, the National Mexican Anthropology Museum, Casa del Lago and the UNAM, as well as performances at the Augustin Lara Festival in Veracruz and the Festival International Centro Historico Campeche. In 2006, Ms. Dirlikov traveled to Xalapa and Veracruz for the Festival de Musica Sacra Florida, where she performed Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and the Lamentaciones of Ignacion Ignacio Jerusalem, the piece’s first performance in 250 yrs.

Ms. Dirlikov has had the honor of performing for Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, former Mexican President Vincente Fox, and Senators Ted Kennedy, and John McCain. A dual citizen of the United States and Mexico, Ms. Dirlikov is fluent in French, Spanish, and Italian, and proficient in German.

Ms. Dirlikov received her Bachelors in Music with high honors from the University of Michigan, where she studied with acclaimed American soprano Shirley Verrett. Ms. Dirlikov also received a grant to study at the Conservatoire National de Paris. She completed her education at McGill University in Montreal where she earned her Masters degree in Opera Performance.