Kwagiulth and Stó:lō First Nations, English, Irish and Scottish mezzo-soprano Marion Newman’s “beautiful voice has heft and power, but at the same time an innate sweetness” (Opera Canada) and she has been noted as "a show stealer" (BBC Music Magazine). In her Irish debut with Cork’s Opera-2005 in the title role of Carmen, she was widely praised for her “superbly sinuous sexuality” and “as a very exciting new talent” by the Irish Examiner. She returned to Cork to appear as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and again performed this role, delighting the critics, with Opera Lyra Ottawa, at the National Arts Centre. On the concert stage, Marion has performed with the best ensembles, symphonies and choirs across Canada. Her extensive repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah, De Falla’s El Amor Brujo, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, and Mozart’s Requiem. Marion has been featured five times as a soloist on CBC’s National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, and opening the 2002 Royal Golden Jubilee Gala at Roy Thomson Hall, where she performed the National Anthem before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Upcoming appearances include world premieres of several works, operas and concerts, that speak to Marion’s First Nations identity. She is much sought after as an advisor for arts organizations wishing to take an active and continuing role in reconciliation. Marion’s discography includes The Lesson of Da Ji, an opera by Canadian composer Alice Ping Yee Ho and librettist Marjorie Chan, with Marion in the title role, five discs with the Aradia Ensemble for Naxos and Sea Change, with Continuum Contemporary Music. Marion made her orchestral debut at the age of sixteen with the Victoria Symphony, not as a singer, but as a pianist, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 488 in A Major. She holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Victoria and a Master of Music with Distinction in vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.