Originally from Palm Beach, Florida, mezzo-soprano Desiree Maira feels equally at home performing in Boston. Ms. Maira was thrilled to make her Boston Opera Collaborative debut singing the title role in Carmen during the summer of 2009.

Ms. Maira has participated as a Young Artist in Seagle Music Colony, Corso Estivo per Giovani Cantanti Lirici (Urbania, Italy) and the New York Vocal Institute. Opera roles include Carmen in Carmen, Serse in Serse, Madame de la Haltiere in Cendrillon, the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, Second Lady in The Magic Flute, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri, Mercy Lewis in The Crucible and Meg Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Other musical stage credits include Lucy in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Joanne in Godspell and Florinda in Into the Woods.

This January, Ms. Maira will participate as a Classical Division Semi-Finalist in the Peter Elvins Vocal Competition in Belmont, Massachusetts. In 2007, she received the Encouragement Award at the Metropolitan Opera Competition in Orlando, Florida. She has appeared as a semi-finalist in the Junior Division Palm Beach Opera Competition in 2007 and 2009.

An avid performer of oratorio repertoire, Ms. Maira was most recently featured as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Nashoba Valley Chorale. She first performed the Messiah in 2007 with the Lynn Chamber Orchestra in Pompano Beach, Florida with Metropolitan Opera soprano Marvis Martin. Ms. Maira was a featured soloist for the 2007 season with the in Elysium Chamber Orchestra and Chorus in Atlanta, singing Mozart’s Requiem and Vesperae solennes de Confessore. In March of 2009, she performed the role of Second Elf in Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Orchestra of Indian Hill under the direction of Bruce Hangen.

Desiree Maira holds a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory (2009) and a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Stetson University (2007). She teaches privately in Boston and holds a Massachusetts Educators License in music. Ms. Maira continues to study voice with Dr. Rebecca Folsom.

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