The contemporary music world experiences this unique vocal phenomenon as a sensation similar to the way Handel's contemporaries once experienced the vocal artistry of the famous castrati. The young Venezuelan, who has retained his natural soprano voice and is artistically mentored by none other than Barbara Bonney, is already in the midst of a world career.
About the artist
VOCAL MIRACLE FROM VENEZUELA
Samuel Mariño’s natural musicality and unique vocal talent have set the stage for a career which allows him to explore a wide range of operatic roles in the baroque and classical repertoire.
Originally training as a ballet dancer at the Venezuelan National School of Dance, Samuel began his musical studies in piano and voice at the National Conservatory of Music and his first experiences performing operatic repertoire were with the Camerata Barroca in Caracas where he worked with conductors including Gustavo Dudamel, Helmuth Rilling and Theodore Kuchar. It was these collaborations that ignited his passion for the baroque repertoire and inspired him to further his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris.
Performance highlights of the 2022/23 season include concert debuts in Australia with Australian Brandenburg Orchestra conducted by Paul Dyer, in Canada with Tafelmusik and in the USA with Camerata Pacifica; he will make his UK opera debut at the Glyndebourne Festival as Iris (Semele).
Samuel Mariño made his stage debut at the Halle Handel Festival in 2018, appearing as Alessandro in Handel’s Berenice, a performance that earned him the nomination of Best Revelation Artist in Das OpernWelt. Subsequent opera performances include the role of Demetrio in Gluck’s Angigono with Halle Handel Festival Orchestra under Michael Hofstetter at the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth, Tamiri in Angesi’s Il Re Pastore with Katowice Academy Baroque Orchestra, Curiazio in Cimarosa’s Gli Orazi e i Curiazi for the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg and staged performances of Handel’s La Resurrezione at Stadttheater Giessen under Michael Hofstetter.
Concert performances have included Bach’s B Minor Mass with Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir conducted by Zsolt Hamar as well as gala concerts in Halle showcasing arias from Chuerubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Fiorilla (Il turco in Italia) and Maria (West Side Story) and he appeared alongside Rolando Villazón on the stage of the Palais Garnier in the final concert of the Rolex Perptual Music series. A burgeoning discography includes Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal released on the Versailles Spectacles label and his debut solo album Care pupille — a collection of rarities by Handel and Gluck with Handelfestspielorchester Halle — is released on Orfeo and nominated in three Opus Klassik categories in 2021.
Samuel Mariño was awarded the Interpretation Award at the 2017 Opéra de Marseile International Singing Competition and won the 2017 Neue Stimmen Audience prize. He is currently closely mentored by the renowned soprano Barbara Bonney and is the recipient of a scholarship from the Rotary Club of Salzburg. Following his passion for rediscovering music and innovating period performance practice, Samuel founded Ensemble Teseo in 2019, where he aims to bring forgotten Baroque works and techniques to mainstream opera and concert stages.
