Sunday Spotlight Artist: Marie Engle, mezzo-soprano
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Following a rollicking portrayal of Dorabella in OperaDelaware's fall production of Così fan tutte, mezzo-soprano Marie Engle (OperaDelaware Young Artist, 2020) prepares for her upcoming Sunday Spotlight recital with pianist Aurelien Eulert on November 20. In contrast to her effervescent and highly comedic portrayal of Mozart's lovesick Dorabella, Marie and Aurelien have selected a cathartic and powerful recital program that will show even more of the rich color and vulnerability of this talented pair of artists. We caught up with Marie for a few questions to get to know her before her upcoming performance! Be sure to grab your tickets for Marie's Sunday Spotlight recital on November 20. Seating is extremely limited at the OperaDelaware Studios, and you don't want to miss this opportunity to experience glorious music and intimate storytelling up close and personal.
Kerriann Otaño, VP of Engagement: Marie, where are you from and what are you most passionate about?
Marie Engle, mezzo-soprano: I mostly grew up in Streetsboro, OH, a town right off the Ohio turnpike between Akron and Cleveland. It is a working class area and sports were much more supported than music, so I played a lot of sports, but also was involved in the band and marching band programs. I am most passionate about have heart-to-heart connections with people, whether in one on one relationships or as a performer. The most important thing to me is communicating authentically and meeting people where they are, and wanting them to know that wherever they are is okay with me.
KO: When did you decide you wanted to be an opera singer and also what is your favorite ice cream flavor?
ME: When 16-year-old Marie started taking voice lessons and learned that there was a way to became a professional singer that had to do with studying hard (something at which I have always excelled) rather than looking a certain way and knowing the right people, I decided to dive head on into this industry that I knew nothing at all about. But I have always been loud, so it’s a match made in heaven. For ice cream, I always like to try new flavors, something fun and funky, like wasabi or durian (I even had a green pea flavor in Paris). BUT, if I am in Vermont, I always get maple cream. In a waffle cone. Is it way too much? Yes. Is it the best ice cream I have ever had, also yes.
KO: What drew you to the music you chose for your recital?
ME: The main piece I focused my energy on learning this past year in Paris was Fauré’s La bonne chanson. It is not performed often because it is devilishly complex harmonically, but when the musicians legitimately take the time to dig into the score and the hinges of its harmonic progression, it is bliss. It is so crunchy and brilliant and expressive. This piece in like wine and cheese: it improves with time. My first performance of it in Paris was just the introduction, the meet-cute. This is a piece with which one should share a lifetime, developing deep relational bonds and seeking more from both the piece and from yourself every time you encounter it. I cannot wait to see what this second performance brings out of Fauré’s brilliant score.
KO: How is recital preparation different from preparing for Dorabella in Così fan tutte?
ME: For me, the biggest difference in this recital’s preparation is that I have performed all of the music on the program before, whereas Dorabella was brand new to me. Another huge difference is that most of recital preparation happens independently. Duos usually do not have weeks to soak in a piece together before they perform them.
KO: What's your personal brand? What's your vibe?
ME: Good golly! This question is deeply personal for me… I am still working on it, but I think I am like a 55-year-old fun auntie who likes to go on adventures around the world and visit friends.
KO: What's one word you hope people will use to describe you as an artist?
ME: Expressive
KO: What's one word you hope people will use to describe you as a person?
ME: Loving
KO: What piece of theater has most inspired you?
ME: I was in the chorus of Christof Loy’s 2015 production of Peter Grimes at Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Peter Grimes in at of itself is a transformative show, but the role that the chorus plays in that show is so significant: the chorus represents society and it the antagonist of the narrative. The music is deeply disturbing and moving and painful and beautiful. Loy’s production was very simple and he dressed the chorus in shades of blues and grays. Between the colors and the choreography, we were the sea. The sea that eventually ruins Grimes and kills him. It was pure genius.
KO: In the wonderful world of the internet, how do you want people to find you?
ME: My website and my professional page on Facebook! I am NOT a social media person, but I am trying to get better. I try to keep my Facebook and Instagram profiles largely personal.
Visit Marie's website | Follow Marie's professional page
Get your tickets to Marie Engle and Aurelien Eulert's Sunday Spotlight recital on November 20 at 2 PM at the OperaDelaware Studios!