Born in Idarn-Oberstein, Germany, mezzo-soprano Barbara Youmans has performed in opera, oratorio and recital throughout New England. Ms. Youmans was a student at the Tanglewood Music Center and a student of the late Richard Cassilly. She is widely known in the New England area having performed as soloist with ensembles at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Newport Music Festival, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the Boston Symphony, the Ocean State Light Opera and with the Ocean State Lyric Opera. She has been a guest artist with many New England ensembles including the Masterworks Chorale, the Rhode Island Civic Chorale, the Ocean State Chamber Orchestra, the Waterbury Chorale, the New Bedford Chorale Society, Chorus Pro Musica, the Providence Singers, the Swanhurst Chorus, the Sippican Chorale and the John Oliver Chorale. In 1999 she made her debut with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. While on tour in 1992, Ms. Youmans was a featured soloist at the 27th International Contemporary Music Festival in Bonn, Germany. She made her Boston Symphony debut in performances of Elektra at Tanglewood and Symphony Hall under the direction of Seiji Ozawa.

As well as being a singer, Ms. Youmans is a flautist and plays with the Fall River Symphony. She has been active as a conductor having served as Assistant Chorus Master with the Providence Opera Theater, Assistant Conductor of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and most recently as Music Director of the German-American Society Choruses. She is the alto soloist at the Newman Congregational Church, Rumford and Watch Hill Chapel in Westerly. Ms. Youmans resides in Fall River with her husband Nikolaus and daughters Lauren, Rachel and Nikole.