Born in South Carolina, Bishop studied at Furman University and obtained a double BA in Political Science and Music.

Her versatile operatic roles have included Emilia (Otello), Eboli (Don Carlo), Meg Page (Falstaff), La Marquise de Merteuil (The Dangerous Liaisons), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), and her frequent role of Mère Marie in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites.

She has also often appeared as Wagnerian heroines, including Fricka, Waltraute, and Second Norn (Der Ring des Nibelungen) and Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde).

In 2013, she gained attention for becoming one of the few artists to perform two major roles in one day at the Metropolitan Opera, namely Mère Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites and Fricka in Wagner's Das Rheingold.

The institute's stated vision is "To bridge the gap between academia and the stage and shift the paradigm for how successful operatic careers begin.