Carmen Balthrop received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Maryland in 1971, having studied with William Winden, and her Master of Music degree in vocal performance with a concentration in opera from the Catholic University of America in 1972. She sang extensively with the Metropolitan Opera and with many of the more prominent opera companies and symphonies, including the Washington National Opera, Deutsche Oper, Teatro La Fenice, The New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the National Symphony Orchestra. She appeared in productions of La Traviata (Violetta), The Magic Flute, Treemonisha (Treemonisha), Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San), Carmen (Micaela), Turandot (Liù), Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira), L’incoronazione di Poppea (Poppea), Susannah (Susannah), and A Bayou Legend. She sang the title role in the Houston Grand Opera production of Treemonisha in 1975.