Australian Debut for Meechot Marrero

Interview - June 26, 2025

CONTEXT

Puerto Rican soprano Meechot Marrero makes her Australian debut in Sydney Chamber Opera’s Aphrodite by Nico Muhly.

Hailing from Corozal, Puerto Rico, Marrero is a graduate of the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory and the Yale School of Music. She made her debut as Cunegonde in Candide at the Komische Oper Berlin and has since performed leading roles including Maria (West Side Story), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Musetta (La Bohème), and Liù (Turandot) across Europe and the U.S. She is also a frequent guest at Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she was a member of the principal ensemble for nine years.

Don’t miss her in Aphrodite — only 3 performances remaining!

QUICK QUESTIONS

• Favourite thing about Australia?

  My fiancé

  
  

• One thing you really miss from Puerto Rico

  My friends and family

  
  

• Favourite city you’ve performed in

  Berlin (Germany) has been my creative home for the last 9 years, but I do have a soft spot for Jackson (Wyoming), and Edinburgh (Scotland)

  
  

• Is there an aria you never get tired of singing?

  Cleopatra’s aria “Piangerò la sorte mia” from Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto has always felt like a warm embrace

  
  

• Dream role you haven’t tackled yet

  The incomparable Violetta Valéry from La Traviata

  
  

• If you weren’t an opera singer, what path would you have taken?

  I almost went to medical school, so maybe a doctor, but without a doubt I would’ve found my way to music somehow.

  
  

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

The entire month of May! I celebrated my birthday with loved ones, sang at Sherrill Milnes’ 90th birthday celebration and gala in NYC, debuted Nuria in a new production of Golijov’s Ainadamar with the Festival Casals in Puerto Rico, got engaged and came to Australia for my debut as Aphrodite with Sydney Chamber Opera in Nico Muhly’s newest opera.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Aphrodite with the Sydney Chamber Opera was/is my first performance in Australia and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better piece, team and opportunity for my debut. The experience has been absolutely incredible and I will miss it wholeheartedly once our performances this weekend are finished.

ON APHRODITE

Aphrodite tells the story of a successful writer and documentarist, Ava, who becomes enwrapped in her topic of expertise: the Aphrodite complex. In this particular case the myth becomes a restless voice inside the main character’s head. Laura Lethlean’s text and Nico Muhly’s music combined with the brilliant skills of an unbelievable team make this opera an immersive experience where no detail is left behind. The set looks like a doll house, cameras are used during the performance to emphasise details creating a sense of intimacy, and the ensemble sustains every emotion with care. This exceptional piece is less than an hour long, but filled with themes and questions that affect us all. What is beauty? Why do we wish to be desired? Why do we so often crave external validation? There are no right or wrong answers, but only genuine life experiences that cultivate a narrative in our minds. I believe our audience members will feel seen through our opera and enjoy an evening of extraordinary music, artistry and emotion.