One of the finest sopranos to emerge from Australia in recent years, Cheryl Barker is particularly noted internationally for her performances of Madama Butterfly, singing this role for English National Opera, De Vlaamse Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Deutsche Oper, Berlin, Netherlands Opera and Houston Grand Opera for whom she has also performed Sarah in the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s The End of the Affair. Cheryl Barker's international successes include Emilia Marty for both the Netherlands Opera and Opera du Rhin, and Madama Butterfly for the Paris Opera and Beijing Opera.

She has sung Manon Lescaut, Arabella, Marschallin and Countess (Capriccio) for Opera Australia, Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini for Opera Holland Park,  Marietta (Die tote Stadt) and Salome for Opera Australia.

Appearing regularly within Australia, her roles have included Nedda/Pagliacci, Countess/Le nozze di Figaro, Mimì in the award winning Baz Luhrmann production of La bohème, Violetta/La Traviata, Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni, Tatyana, Giorgetta, Suor Angelica and Lauretta (Il Trittico) and the title roles in Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Jenufa, Rusalka and most recently Tosca and Desdemona/Otello for Opera Queensland.

Other international appearances include Jenifer (A Midsummer Marriage) for the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Tatyana (Eugene Onegin) and Adina (L'elisir d'amore) for Scottish Opera, Oksana (Christmas Eve), Foreign Princess (Rusalka), Governess/Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw), Musetta (La bohème), Donna Elvira, Tosca, Salome and Emilia Marty (The Makropoulos Case) for ENO, the title role in Maria Stuarda (ReisOper); Violetta (Hamburg Statsoper and Deutsche Oper/Berlin); Suor Angelica, Giorgetta, Mimi,Desdemona(Otello) and Liù (Turandot)/De Vlaamse Opera and Katya Kabanova (Welsh National Opera and Geneva).

On the concert platform, Cheryl Barker has appeared at many prestigious international venues including London's Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, St John's Smith Square, and the Halle Orchestra. She has sung in the Edinburgh, Spoleto and Melbourne Festivals as well as touring nationally for Musica Viva in 2005 and 2008.

Cheryl holds an honorary Doctor of Music conferred by the Victorian College of the Arts.