Davia BOULEY

American contralto Davia Bouley has attracted attention from US and European audiences alike for her alluring stage presence and voice of “true beauty” (Operawire). She has performed with opera companies, music festivals and concert halls all over the United States and Europe, including the Cincinnati Opera, Theater Dortmund, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Aspen Music Festival, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, and the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Ms. Bouley’s 2024-2025 season began with a debut at the Grand Teton Music Festival as Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte, under the musical direction of Sir Donald Runnicles. It also included a return to Deutsche Oper Berlin for Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Delia in Il Viaggio a Reims, and Third Secretary in the revival of Nixon in China. This season brings new debuts as the alto soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Texarkana Symphony, a recital of Brahms Lieder with Hopera in Houston, Texas, and a role and house debut as Serena Joy in The Handmaid's Tale with Detroit Opera.

Ms. Bouley has been a regular guest at the Deutsche Oper Berlin for seven seasons. She made her European debut with the company as the 2nd Paysanne in their new production of Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète under the baton of Enrique Mazzola. Her roles at the Deutsche Oper Berlin included Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, the Beggar Woman in Graham Vick’s Death in Venice alongside Ian Bostridge, Maestra delle Novizie in Suor Angelica, Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the Third Secretary in Nixon in China.

In the 2023/2024 season, Davia returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin for some exciting new productions and role debuts: Maestra delle Novizie in Suor Angelica, and Third Secretary in the Berlin operatic stage premiere of Nixon in China. She also reprised her roles as Delia in Il Viaggio a Reims and Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte. Other highlights of the season included a tour of concert debuts as Flosshilde in Der Ring an Einem Abend with the Weimar Staatskapelle, performing at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Isarphilharmonie München, Weimarhalle, Meistersingerhalle Nürnberg, Alte Oper Frankfurt and the Berliner Philharmonie.

Career highlights in the US have included the title role in Carmen and Meg Page in Falstaff (Bayview Music Festival), the alto soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Round Top Music Festival), Kate Pinkerton and Suzuki (cover) in Madama Butterfly, and Little Buttercup in HMS Pinafore (Indianapolis Opera), Silver Dollar in The Ballad of Baby Doe (Amarillo Opera), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Aspen Music Festival), Giovanna and Maddalena (cover) in Rigoletto and Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte (Cincinnati Opera) conducted by Bernard Labadie.

As a concert soloist, Davia has performed many notable works in the alto repertoire, including Bach’s Magnificat, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Duruflé’s Requiem, and Debussy’s Trois Chansons. She has also performed contemporary works such as George Crumb’s Unto the Hills and Jean Berger’s Five Songs on Poems of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots at the Grandin Festival.

A native of Southern California, she holds her master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University.