Carol Theresa Vaness (born July 27, 1952) is an American lirico-spinto soprano. Vaness was born in San Diego and launched her professional career in 1977 with the San Francisco Opera. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1984 and has sung at many of the major opera houses of Europe, including Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, and the Royal Opera House/Covent Garden. In 1993 she performed the role of Duchess Elena in I Vespri Sciliani with the Washington Concert Opera.