Mary Rice
Mary Rice
BM in Vocal Performance, NYU Steinhardt
MM in Vocal Performance, NYU Steinhardt
Minor in Business, NYU
Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy, NYU Steinhardt
AGMA
She/They
Mary is a “striking” (Operawire) mezzo-soprano known for their “elegant interpretation” and “polished vocalism” (BroadwayWorld), rapidly establishing themselves as a vibrant interpreter of concert and opera repertoire. They have performed in concerts, musicals, opera, and plays across the US and Europe, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Teatro Argentina and Concilizaione in Rome, and the Alte Münze in Berlin. Recent performances include Leonard Bernstein’s Arias and Barcarolles in collaboration with Jamie Bernstein and the Moab Music Festival, alto soloist in the Rachmaninoff All Night Vigil with the Fort Greene Orchestra and Music at Co-Cath, the world premiere of “If Our Survival” with Sing for Solidarity, and the title role in Mrs. President by Victoria Woodhull with Marshall Opera. They have performed with the Canterbury Choral Society, Adelphi Orchestra, New York City Opera, City Lyric Opera, Opera Fayetteville, the Rome Chamber Music Festival, Moab Music Festival, Ars Musica, Teatro Nuovo, Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the Brooklyn Telemann Chamber Society. Their notable roles include Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, The Queen of Hearts in the US premiere of The Garden of Alice, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, and Emperor Nero in L’incoronazione di Poppea, in addition to standard works of the classical concert repertoire including Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Not limited to classical music, they have been featured in Broadway Premieres and Wall-to-Wall Stephen Schwartz with Symphony Space, the Lifetime Achievement Gala for Hal Prince, and performed as everything from a Hot Box Dancer in Guys and Dolls to Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macduff in Macbeth, and were the winner of the 2023 Stagetime Arts Career Development Grant.
As a teacher, they prioritize the principles of “Golden Age” classical technique across all genres: a sustainable and responsive vocal mechanism that responds freely to the artistic whims of the performer; with a strong and flexible chest voice, a ringing medium register, and head voice that possesses both intensity and beauty. They are a graduate of the NYU Steinhardt Advanced Certificate program in Vocal Pedagogy, where they also worked as adjunct voice faculty from 2017 – 2019, and have been furthering their pedagogical studies in the studio of the (in)famous Haus of Shmizzay since 2022. They have maintained a private voice studio since 2014. Their students have been accepted to most major conservatory and BFA programs, and perform at regional theatres, cruise lines, national tours, and at major venues including Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Studio 54, and others, regularly. www.mary-rice.com
