Marina Viotti blends opera career with heavy‑metal past

Marina Viotti, the Swiss‑born mezzo‑soprano, is performing Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus at the Zurich Opera and is notable for a career that spans Baroque, bel canto, operetta and a past in heavy metal.

Viotti, 39, has had a busy season that has included Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther, Jocasta in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and the title role of Carmen at the Dallas Opera. She sang in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in July 2024 and has worked with metal acts including Gojira and Black Sabbath; she also won a Grammy with Gojira, released the 2024 album Melankholia and holds a master’s degree in literature and philosophy. Born to conductor Marcello Viotti and violinist Marie‑Laurence Bret, she initially rejected classical music after her father’s death, turned to metal, later studied voice in Vienna and Lausanne, and overcame a thoracic tumor diagnosed in 2019 before resuming major debuts.

Viotti and others say the Olympics and the Grammy have opened new opportunities and renewed her connections to rock and metal, and she has received requests for crossover projects from festivals and opera houses. She has described the work as a way to bring younger audiences to opera and said this mixed career is the life she wanted.

Key Topics

Culture, Marina Viotti, Zurich Opera, Paris Olympics, Gojira, Black Sabbath