Barbara Livingston burst unforgettably onto the opera stage, singing the role of Amelia in Pacific Opera Victoria's 1998 production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera.  Her tenor was Richard Margison.  This was an amazing debut, given that Ms Livingston was from a small northern Vancouver Island town, had never sung in an opera and hadn't had a voice lesson in eighteen years.  However, the unknown and untried singer from Campbell River more than held her own with Mr. Margison and received rave reviews.

Since that time, Barbara Livingston has gone from one triumph to the next.  A year after her remarkable debut in Victoria, B.C., she was working with the San Francisco Opera Company, covering Carol Vaness in the role of Amelia in Verdi's Ballo.  Ms Livingston has continued to perform the larger works of Verdi, among them Il Trovatore, Ernani and the Requiem.  She has performed these works with Opera Saskatchewan (Il Trovatore), Opera Lyra Ottawa (Il Trovatore and Ballo) and Pacific Opera Victoria (Il Trovatore).  She is becoming a much sought after soprano for Verdi's Requiem, performing it with the Victoria Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Orchestra London, the Elora Festival and the London Fanshawe Symphonic Chorus.

As well as concentrating on the larger Verdi works, Ms Livingston added the role of Puccini's Turandot to her repertoire.  She debuted with the Manitoba Opera, singing Turandot's aria "In questa reggia" and the opera's famous "Riddle Scene" under the baton of Stewart Robertson.  Ms Livingston made her debut singing the role of Turandot with Florida Grand Opera in 2004 (with Maestro Robertson) and sang the role of the Ice Princess with Opera Omaha in 2005, conducted by Hal France.

In 2004, Ms Livingston added Bellini's Norma to her increasing repertoire, debuting this role with Pacific Opera Victoria.

Ms Livingston's orchestral repertoire includes Verdi's Requiem, Mahler's Symphonies 2 and 8, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Missa Solemnis and his concert aria "Ah, Perfido!".  Ms. Livingston is also well known for her performances as the soprano soloist in Britten's War Requiem.  The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's recordings of Ms Livingston's performances of Verdi's Requiem and Britten's War Requiem with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Kitchener/Waterloo Symphony are broadcast frequently.

From 2004 through 2009, Ms Livingston was a member of the faculty of the Victoria Conservatory of Music in Victoria, B. C., where she taught private voice lessons and was the Assistant Artistic Director/Administrator of the renowned VCM Opera Studio program.

Ms. Livingston has coached and worked with many of the world's greatest teachers, among them Selena James, Timothy Vernon, Dame Joan Sutherland, Stuart Hamilton, Lotfi Mansouri, Irving Guttman, David Agler, Bramwell Tovey, Robert Holliston and Dixie Ross Neill.  She has been fortunate to work with many great conductors, including Timothy Vernon, Bramwell Tovey, Stewart Robertson, Hal France, Mario Bernardi, Donald Runnicles, Guiseppe Pietraroia, Giovanni Reggioli, Howard Dyck and Victor da Renzi.

Since 2005, Barbara Livingston has made a gradual change from performer to administrator.  She completed Capilano University's Advanced Arts and Entertainment Management program in 2010.  She now concentrates on administration as a career, where her invaluable experience as a performer is an obvious asset.

Ms Livingston was awarded the George and Jane Heffelfinger Pacific Opera Victoria Artist of the Year for 1998/1999.

Ms Livingston was a recipient of a Canada Council award in 2003 and in 2005 was invited to be a member of the jury of the B.C. Arts Council.