Copley is a resident of
Lindsborg,
Kansas, a Swedish arts community and the home of
Bethany College, where she received her training. She began her career as a concert soprano and has performed with many American orchestras. Cropley made her New York concert debut in 1986 as the soprano soloist in
Johann Sebastian Bach's
Mass in B minor with the
Musica Sacra chorus and conductor
Richard Westenburg at
Avery Fisher Hall. She performed with that ensemble again at the same venue as the soprano soloist in the world premiere of McNeil Robinson's
Messe Solennelle (1987), and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
Coronation Mass (1988). Copley made her professional opera debut in 1987 as Desdemona in
Giuseppe Verdi's
Otello at the
New Jersey State Opera opposite
James McCracken in the title role. Soon after, she performed excerpts from several operas in multiple concerts with the
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; among them
Tristan und Isolde (1987) and
Lohengrin (1988). She also was a soprano soloist with that orchestra in performances of Verdi's
Requiem and Beethoven's
Symphony No. 9. In 1988 she was the soprano soloist in the United States premiere of
Eduard Tubin's
Symphony No. 3. with the
Long Island Philharmonic. In 1991 Copley made her debut at the
New York City Opera in the title role of
Giacomo Puccini's
Turandot. She made an unexpected debut at the
Metropolitan Opera on October 3, 1992; replacing an ailing
Aprile Millo mid performance in the role of Amelia in
Un ballo in maschera for acts II and III of the opera. She went on the sing the entire opera at the Met for the following October 7, 1992 performance with
Richard Leech as Riccardo,
Juan Pons as Renato, and
Harolyn Blackwell as Oscar. Subsequent roles she has performed at the Met include The First Lady in
The Magic Flute (1993), Gerhilde in
Die Walküre (2004 and 2005), Abigaille in
Nabucco (2004), and the title role in
Turandot (2005). ==References==