In October 2003, Crider made her role debut as Tosca under the musical direction of Nello Santi at the Zurich Opera, followed by appearances as Norma in the Aalto Theatre in Essen. In January 2004 she returned to Zurich for more performances of Tosca, then moved on to the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as Aida under the musical direction of Zubin Mehta. She also sang Amelia in Un ballo in maschera in Hamburg and at the Liceu in Barcelona, closing her season at the Arena di Verona as Aida. In July 2003, Crider was awarded the Young Alumni Award by the Alumni Association of the University of Iowa.
