Marquita Raley-Cooper mezzo soprano
Lauded and recognized around the globe, mezzo-soprano Marquita Cooper exhibits beauty and versatility on the stage. Her work has been praised by The New York Times and Opera News for “her big, pulsating instrument.”
Cooper, a native of Washington, D.C., has toured internationally singing repertoire spanning the Baroque through 21st century. She debuted in recitals at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall with The New York Philharmonic, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She is also a featured soloist with Ebony String Quartet with works by leading female composer Christina Spinei, Jazz at Lincoln Center for Wynton Marsalis’ Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration, and Leonard Bernstein’s Candide with The New York Philharmonic, and a guest artist for Lyric Fest accompanied by acclaimed pianist, Laura Ward. She was recently presented in concert with Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra as the alto soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Cooper has been invited to sing for such people as the late Maya Angelou, the late William Warfield, opera singers Denyce Graves, William Stone, Matthew Polenzani, Renée Fleming, Marilyn Horne, and Suzanne Mentzer. She has also been recognized as a major figure on the rise in the world of classical music by musician and composer H. Leslie Adams and the late Nico Castel. Oratorio works include Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem. Operatic roles include Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Baba the Turk (The Rake’s Progress), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Second and Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Anne (The Mother of Us All), Gianetta (L’elisir d’amore), Fountain Voice (Ainadamar), Martha (Iolanta), Madame Flora (The Medium), and Delilah (Samson et Delilah) with Venture Opera, Philadelphia Opera, and Chautauqua Opera.
Cooper holds degrees from The Juilliard School (bachelor of music) and The Curtis Institute (master of music). She joined the faculty of Summer Arts with Juilliard (Switzerland) in 2021 and served on the faculty of Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. as a vocal instructor from 2019–2022.