A stylish musician, agile fioriturist, and fearless stage animal, mezzo-soprano Megan Marino has been praised by Opera News as “a gifted actress with a strong, appealing voice, graced by a rich lower register,” who appears both “authoritative and carefree.” Her ability to disappear into a character grounds emotionally incisive performances across genres and eras, and her open-hearted collaborative approach has made her a favorite colleague of creatives and performers across the industry.

Marino has sung with the Metropolitan Opera every seasonsince her 2013 debut as the Voice of an Unborn Child in Die Frauohne Schatten, singing Flora in La traviata, Second Lady in The Magic Flute, Second Wood Sprite in Rusalka, Laura in Iolanta,Myrtale in Thais, and Feodor in Boris Godunov. She is also afrequent performer at Atlanta Opera, where she has appearedas Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sesto Pompeo in Giulio Cesare, Olga in Eugene Onegin, a gender-bent Beppe in Pagliacci, and the title role in the world premiere of The Threepenny Carmen, and at Santa Fe Opera, where her roles include Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Meg Page in Falstaff, and Suzuki in Madame Butterfly. When she returned to Santa Fe as Annina in Der Rosenkavalier this summer, Opera Today called her “an animated, laser-voiced delight,” noting that “Marino may cut a petite figure, but don’t underestimate her firepower. Her potent mezzo-soprano was well-rounded, cheekily hurled into the house, and even throughout the range.”

Appearances in the 2024/25 season include Marino’s role debut as The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd with Utah Opera and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro in her company debut with Pensacola Opera. She will also premiere new works by Evan Mack at Skidmore College and travel to Kyoto, Japan, to sing Flora in Seiji Ozawa Music Academy’s La traviata.

Marino has recently debuted as Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music at Houston Grand Opera and as Maddalena in Rigoletto with Opera Delaware. In spring 2024, she was honored to create three of the four roles in world premiere opera Before It All Goes Dark by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer. Opera Magazine noted the “great emotional responsibility,” praising Marino’s “admirable work finding distinct timbres for each role” in “an eloquently poignant performance.”

Marino hopes more new works that capitalize on her theatrical chops and genuine communicative gifts are in her future. Her bucket-list roles include the title role of Mignon, Jenny in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Fosca in Passion, and Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking. Her early career was built on spirited roles like Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Florida Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Kentucky Opera, Virginia Opera), Angelina in La Cenerentola (Palm Beach Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City), Meg Page in Falstaff (Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera), and Annina in Der Rosenkavalier (Lyric Opera of Chicago).

Marino can be heard on several commercial recordings, including Weill’s Road of Promise with MasterVoices at Carnegie Hall and Higdon’s Cold Mountain with Santa Fe Opera. With her long-time recital partner, pianist John Arida, she recorded It’s You I Like, an album of classically anchored music for children, and The Travelled Road: The Music of Evan Mack. Her concert credits include Händel’s Messiah with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Mozart’s Requiem with Boston Boys Choir, Bach’s St. John Passion with American University of Beirut, Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Orchestra of St. Luke’s at the Caramoor International Music Festival, and Haydn’s Mass No. 6 at Carnegie Hall.

Deeply genre-adventurous, Marino delights in opportunities to explore new artistic avenues. She joined KC Groves & Friends on stage at RockyGrass for the Sunday Morning Bluegrass Gospel Set and can often be heard singing harmony and playing her Hammond melodion with Colorado bluegrass fusion band Midnight Cricket Club. Elsewhere in her home state, she serves as founding Executive Director of the Creede Musical Arts Collective, which brings all genres of musical artists to the San Luis Valley. She recently directed CMAC’s Celebration of Rodgers & Hammerstein and On the Stage of Sondheim, both co-productions with Creede Repertory Theater, after making her directorial debut with Shreveport Opera’s production of Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Marino received advanced training as a Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist and recipient of an Aspen Opera Theater Fellowship. Numerous awards and honors from Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition, Marcello Giordani Foundation, Oratorio Society of New York, George London Foundation, Opera Index, and Gerda Lissner Foundation helped bridge the gap between training and her professional career. Today, Marino pays that support forward as a member of the vocal faculty of the Taos Opera Institute. A true believer in the collective good, she was an active board member of AGMA from 2019-2022, serving on several committees as well as collective bargaining and effects bargaining negotiations.

A dual American and Italian citizen, Marino balances long stretches on the road with time at home in Colorado, where she enjoys outdoorsy adventures with her husband, baritone Michael Mayes, and their dog Peak.

Current as of September 1, 2024