Swenson recently sang Marguerite in the Metropolitan Opera's revival of Faust; she will sing the role again in two upcoming performances in March. In April she is scheduled to sing Cleopatra in the Met's Giulio Cesare alongside countertenor David Daniels in the title role.
Swenson is a New York native and graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She has performed at international opera houses including the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, L'Op_ra national de Paris, the Royal Opera House in London, Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Hamburg State Opera and the Bavarian State Opera.
In 1993, she was awarded the Richard Tucker Award from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation. Last spring, she received an honorary doctorate degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.