Samuel Mariño: From Caracas to Paris

Trained in Caracas and then at the Conservatoire de Paris, the sopranist Samuel Mariño, with his crystal-clear, high-pitched voice, recounts how he failed his diploma because he was not a countertenor, how he sources his flamboyant stage costumes in thrift shops, and why he dreams of a kinder and more benevolent world than the one in which he spent his childhood.

" I just want to open doors for the next generations and I believe I’ve got something unique to offer." © Robbie Ewing

From Venezuela to the concert halls of the world, Samuel Mariño has always sung as a soprano. Born in 1993 in Caracas, Venezuela, he trained at the National Conservatory in Caracas and at the Conservatoire de Paris, before winning the Audience Prize at the Neue Stimmung competition in Gütersloh, Germany, as well as the Interpretation Award at the 2017 Opéra de Marseille International Singing Competition. He has released three albums, Care pupille, Sopranista and Lumina, the second of which was nominated for an Opus Classik award in the Young Talent of the Year and the Singing (Opera) categories. Famous for his androgynous appearance, sparkling coloratura and flamboyant concert attire, he continues to confound expectations, break stereotypes and pursue his mission to bring new audiences to the worlds of opera and classical music.

My musical beginnings

My family members are not musical – they are dancers! I’m the worst dancer in my family, even if I did 8 years of ballet! My mother heard me singing all the time when I was a kid and put me in a choir, and I played the piano as a kid.

Discovering my soprano voice

My voice hadn’t broken by 14, and I was constantly bullied at school. My larynx wasn’t showing any signs of lengthening, and my speaking voice was likely to stay high-pitched. I begged my mother to take me to a doctor and get it fixed. Because the choir was the one place where I felt normal, one doctor suggested I just keep singing. I still have a complicated relationship with my voice.

My musical training

I started singing lessons at Caracas’ National Conservatory at 16. At the same time, I was studying ballet at the National School of Dance. I finished high school at 17 and studied painting at university. My parents persuaded me to try one semester of music, because they saw I was happy when I was singing. I discovered baroque music, but nobody knew what to do with me. A good friend suggested Europe. Opera belongs to this part of the world. I chose Paris because it was the cheapest. My family is not rich! We made lemon pies and sold things to afford the fare. At 18, I entered the Conservatoire de Paris. I worked in hotels, and I worked as a nanny (I was a very good nanny!). I worked on the Buzz Lightyear machines in Disneyworld, until they fired me for being late all the time. It was difficult to get there.