Dr. Mario E. Martínez is an esteemed baritone with a distinguished career in opera, oratorio, and musical theatre. He has performed leading roles with organizations including Finger Lakes Opera, Sociedad Proarte Latinoamericana, Rochester Lyric Opera, Mercury Opera, Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Ópera de las Américas, Compañía Lírica Dominicana, and Eastman Opera Theatre. His concert work includes appearances with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Symphoria, Charleston Symphony, Rochester Oratorio Society, Western New York Chamber Orchestra, the National Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras of Santo Domingo, Orchard Park Chorale and Symphony, New Eastman Symphony, and Eastman Philharmonia. He has appeared in venues across the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and the Dominican Republic, including Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.
Martínez is a recipient of numerous honors, including recognition as an Honorary Member of the National Company of Classical Singers in the Dominican Republic. At Nazareth University, he has served as Interim Dean of Visual & Performing Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences, as well as Associate Dean, Director of the School of Music, Program Director, and Coordinator of Vocal Studies. He is also a recipient of Nazareth’s Teaching Excellence Award and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Award. An experienced arts administrator and advocate, Martínez has served in leadership roles at the local, regional, national, and international levels. He was Governor for the Eastern Region of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) for two consecutive terms and has held additional leadership positions within NATS, including President of the Central New York–Finger Lakes Chapter and Chair of the NATS Intern Program. In 2015, he was reappointed as Arts Consultant to the Ministry of Culture in the Dominican Republic.
Martínez's students frequently perform in leading roles in professional opera and musical theater productions and have received recognition through national, regional, and local competitions. His students have been accepted into top graduate and undergraduate programs and international training programs in vocal performance and musical theater.
A respected educator and mentor, Martínez is in demand as an adjudicator, clinician, artist-teacher, vocal coach, stage director, and music director. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Sociology from Luther College. He is an inducted member of Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Delta Pi, and Pi Kappa Lambda.
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Education