He has created roles in the world premieres of operas by composers Samuel Adler, David Carlson, John Harbison, and Augusta Read Thomas.
[1] In 1976 di Paolo made his New York City performance debut in Conrad Susa's Transformations with the Manhattan Theatre Club.
[5] On 18 November 1976 he portrayed Henri de Valois in the United States premiere of Emmanuel Chabrier's Le roi malgré lui with the Juilliard Opera.
[6] In 1979 he created the role of Florizel in the world premiere of John Harbison's Winter's Tale at the San Francisco Opera.
[7] In 1980 di Paolo was the tenor soloist in the Faure Requiem at Carnegie Hall with the New York Choral Society under conductor Robert De Cormier.
[8] In 1981 he was the tenor soloist in Gian Carlo Menotti's Missa 'O Pulchritudo with the Westminster Cathedral Choir, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and conductor Joseph Flummerfelt at the Spoleto Festival USA.
[15] He returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1986 to portray Edgardo di Ravenswood to Edita Gruberova's Lucia.
[21] In 1994 he created the role of Edgar Allan Poe in the world premiere of Augusta Read Thomas's Ligeia at the Evian Festival.