Mari Moriya

Mari Moriya is an acclaimed soprano recognized for her extraordinary artistry across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Praised for her “beautiful voice and clean and precise coloraturas” (Der neue Merker), she excels in both dramatic coloratura and spinto lyric repertoire, encompassing roles from bel canto heroines such as Norma and Maria Stuarda to Puccini’s Butterfly.

She first gained international attention as a Grand Finalist in the 2005 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has since won major awards, including First Prizes at the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition and the Charles A. Lynam Vocal Competition, and the Concert Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

Mari made her operatic debut as the Queen of the Night at Palm Beach Opera, a role she subsequently performed at major houses including the Metropolitan Opera (under James Levine), Volksoper Wien, Oper Leipzig, Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Seattle Opera, and Theater Basel. In Europe, she debuted with Opera Ireland as Liù in Turandot, later returning as Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and performed in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten and Satyagraha at Opera Vlaanderen.

As a principal artist at Landestheater Linz (2010–2014), she expanded her repertoire, singing roles such as Lakmé, Maria Stuarda, Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Gilda (Rigoletto), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Mimì (La Bohème), and others. In 2016, she debuted as Violetta in La Traviata in a new production by Robert Wilson and created the role of Lara/Chang’e in Moritz Eggert’s Terra Nova.

Her performances in Japan have also earned wide acclaim, including appearances at Biwako Hall, Tokyo Nikikai Opera Theatre, and the New National Theatre Tokyo. Notable roles include the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier), Salome, Elsa (Lohengrin), Sieglinde (Die Walküre), and Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly). In 2019, she had the distinguished honor of singing the national anthem at the national celebration ceremony for the Emperor’s Enthronement.

Mari’s concert repertoire is extensive, spanning from Baroque to contemporary works. She has performed as a soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 and Missa Solemnis, Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, Mahler’s Symphonies No.2, 4, and 8, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Strauss’s Four Last Songs, and particularly Verdi’s Requiem, where she has been highly acclaimed for her powerful and lyrical interpretation.

Recent highlights include acclaimed performances as the Woman in La voix humaine, Rusalka in Rusalka, Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles, the title role in Tosca, and Marietta in Die tote Stadt, as well as her performance as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly at the Semperoper Dresden in 2022. She also appeared at the ARD New Year’s Eve Concert and performed Philip Glass’s The Voyage with the MDR Symphony Orchestra at the Gewandhaus, broadcast across Germany.

Born in Oyama, Japan, Mari studied at Musashino Academy of Music (Masterof Music) and Mannes College of Music in New York (Professional Studies Diploma).