Marina Viotti is an extraordinary mezzo soprano; she performs on the biggest international stages yet does not disdain smaller and alternative institutions and venues. Born into a family of musicians in Lausanne in 1986, she studied the flute as a teenager before focusing on singing jazz, gospel and heavy metal. A thirst for discovery and knowledge led her to study philosophy and literature before devoting herself intensively to opera singing. After her stage débuts in Lausanne, Lucerne, Geneva and Zurich, she was invited to perform at some of the most important opera houses in Europe – the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Liceu in Barcelona, the operas of Dresden and Munich, the Opéra du Rhin and the Arena in Verona. She possesses a rare technical and interpretative versatility and seems at ease with a variety of repertoires of very different styles and eras. It is no coincidence that she is one of the very few opera singers to offer recitals – of surprising creativity and originality – that include cabaret, jazz, chanson française and American singer-songwriter-rock: “I like to sing different things: the different types of music cross-fertilise each other, create bridges, open minds, connect people, genres and cultures. That is something we very much need.”