Lister apprenticed at the Houston Grand Opera (1987–89), and made her mainstage debut with the company as the title heroine in Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in 1992.
She sang Musetta in La bohème at the Arena di Verona Festival, then Bess, yet again, at the Bregenzer Festspiele and New York City Opera, where she won the Diva Award (2002).
In recent years Lister has sung Lady Macbeth and Aida at Dresden's Semperoper, Rusalka at Boston Lyric Opera, and Cassandre in Les Troyens at the Amazon Theatre in Brazil.
She has performed with world-renowned artists such as Plácido Domingo, Justino Díaz, Frederica Von Stade, Simon Estes, and Sherrill Milnes.
In December 2011, Lister accepted the prestigious Victory Award from National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she underwent treatment for an illness several years ago.
Owing to the soprano's determination and care at NRH, [neutrality is disputed] Lister regained her strength and returned to the stage with renewed vigor.