About Marina

Heralded by the San Francisco Chronicle for her “knockout combination of vocal power and expressive eloquence”, soprano Marina Harris is quickly establishing herself as a talent to watch. An alumna of the prestigious Adler Fellowship program at the San Francisco Opera, Ms. Harris’ appearances with the company included four world premiere operas; Nolan Gasser’s The Secret Garden (in the role of Susan Sowerby), Mark Adamo’s The Gosepel of Mary Magdalene (Tamar/Girl/Seeker), Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne (Maid), Jack Perla’s Love/Hate (Samantha), and covering numerous leading roles, most notably the role of Elsa in Lohengrin. In September 2013, she garnered national attention as a last-minute replacement for Patricia Racette in the role of Elena (Helen of Troy) in San Francisco Opera’s season-opening production of Boito’s Mefistofele.

Marina has also joined the roster of the Los Angeles Opera to cover the verismo roles of Nedda in Pagliacci and the title role in Madama Butterfly. She has made leading role debuts with Opera Idaho (Tatiana in Eugene Onegin), Pacific Opera Project (title role in Ariadne auf Naxos) and the Southern Illinois Music Festival (Mathilde in Guillaume Tell). Ms. Harris’ international credits include the Festival der jugend Stimmen in Switzerland as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser and as a guest performer with the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, China. 2021-22 saw performances with The Infinite Stage in her hometown of Long Beach, a return to Southern Illinois in the role of Fiordiligi (Felicia) in Così fan tutte (aka Covid fan tutte), a company debut with GLOW Lyric Theater in their 2021 Festival, Berta in The Barber of Seville with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Colette in the world premiere of Laura Schwendiger’s Cabaret of Shadows with Musiqa Houston, the Marquise of Berkenfield in La Fille du Regiment with the Opera Buffs at the Colburn School of Music, and performances at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City with composer and pianist Felix Jarrar. In 2023, Marina sang with the Sun Valley Opera in recital with crossover star Ashley Faatoalia, the soprano solos in Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 (Lobgesang) with the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, and released a debut EP with her band Bones & Teeth.

From the baroque period to contemporary, Marina has been featured as a soprano soloist in a diverse range of repertoire, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection), Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, Verdi’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, and J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Additionally, she has performed in the West Coast premieres of Charles Stanford’s Stabat Mater and Cecelia MacDowall’s Magnificat with the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra. She originated the role of Angelina (wife of famous Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who helped at least 10,000 Jews escape Nazi Germany during WWII) in Bruce Neely’s oratorio, Circular 14. Ms. Harris has been a guest soloist with the Marin Symphony, the California Symphony, the West Los Angeles Symphony, and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, among many others. In recital, Marina has appeared with Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series, with the Brava! Opera Theater, as part of The Song Continues with Marilyn Horne and the Weill Institute of Music, and with San Francisco Performances. She has also been featured on WQRX, New York’s leading classical radio station, along with baritone Norman Garrett and Ken Noda of the Metropolitan Opera.

In 2015, Ms. Harris was awarded the Dorothea-Glatt-Förderpreis in the triennial International Wagnerstimmen Competition, securing her place as one of the top singers of Wagnerian repertoire worldwide. Marina has won numerous other awards for her performances of the Wagnerian repertoire, including the 2015 George London Vienna Prize and the George London-Leonie Rysanek Award in 2014, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation’s Vocal Competition in both 2015 and 2017. She has received additional grants and awards from the Wagner Society of Northern California, the Merola Opera Program, the Palm Springs Opera Guild, and the Loren L. Zachary International Vocal Competition.

Ms. Harris resides in Long Beach, California.