MarinaViotti

Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti, described by the New York Times as ‘the opera star with heavy-metal chops’, has established herself as a commanding presence on the international stage. Her operatic engagements include leading roles at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Real Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona and Berlin Staatsoper, while a high-profile appearance opening the Paris 2024 Olympics – performing ‘Ah! Ça Ira’ with Gojira before delivering the Habanera from Carmen – brought her artistry to a global audience. Her remarkable versatility encompasses Baroque, bel canto and operetta as well as recital repertoire ranging from Ravel and Poulenc to Weill and Jacques Brel.

The 2025/26 season sees Marina return to Opernhaus Zurich to sing Prince Orlofsky Die Fledermaus; to the Berlin Staatsoper as Rosina Il barbiere in Siviglia; and to the Salzburg Festival to sing Marchesa Melibea in Rossini Il viaggio a Reims directed by Barrie Kosky. Other highlights include performances of Carmen, one of her signature roles, for Dallas Opera and the Greek National Opera. Concert engagements include performances with the Orchestra of the Opera Royal de Versailles at the Bayreuth Baroque Festival; with the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest in Amsterdam; with Le Concert de la Loge at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysée; and on tour in Switzerland with Les Musiciens du Louvre. In 26/27 she will return to the Bayerische Staatsoper to sing Juno Semele, Rosina and Charlotte; and to the Opéra national de Paris to sing Rosina.

Recent highlights include her return to the Paris Opéra as Siébel Faust, Orlofsky Die Fledermaus in Barrie Kosky’s production at the Dutch National Opera, appearing as soloist in a staged production of Mozart’s Requiem at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and as Nicklausse Les Contes d’Hoffmann at La Scala, Milan and Zurich Opera. She made a return to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées as Charlotte in a new production of Werther . She has appeared as Jocasta Oedipus Rex at the Salzburg Festival, as Maddalena Rigoletto at the Bavarian State Opera, Stéphano Roméo et Juliette at La Scala, Rosina at the Bolshoi, in Barcelona and Verona, and the title roles of Alceste at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome and of La Périchole and La Cenerentola in Paris.

Her creative and original approach to recital programming has made her a highly sought-after recitalist, with appearances at venues and festivals including the Gstaad New Year Music Festival, the Biarritz Piano Festival, Opera du Rhin and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Her first solo recital, ‘Porque existe otro querer’, explored French and Hispanic romances with works by Fauré, Falla, Massenet, Isolina Carrillo and Jacques Brel, and the recording with guitarist Gabriel Biano was released to wide acclaim. Her programme ‘About Last Night’ with Concert de la Loge ranges from jazz to cabaret and French chanson.

As a concert singer her appearances include performances with the Orquestra Gulbenkian in Lisbon, at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and at the Grafenegg Festival. She has also recorded A Tribute to Pauline Viardot with Les Talens Lyriques under Christophe Rousset for CD.

Marina Viotti initially studied flute, experimented with jazz, gospel and heavy metal, and completed a Master’s degree in philosophy and literature, before studying singing with Heidi Brunner in Vienna and Brigitte Balleys in Lausanne, and completing her bel canto training with Raúl Giménez.

She is a prize-winner in several competitions, including the Concours de Genève, the Concours International de Chant de Mâcon, the International Opera Awards in London and the Victoires de la Musique, as ‘Artiste lyrique de l’année 2023’.

In 2025 she was awarded ‘Chevalière de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French Ministry of Culture.