Marquita Raley-Cooper

Specialty: Mezzo-soprano soloist

Lauded and recognized around the globe, mezzo-soprano Marquita Raley-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.”

Ms. Raley-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 with 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. She was also featured for Jazz at Lincoln Center for Wynton Marsalis’ Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration, 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 Hogfish Regenerative Arts in collaboration with The Amarantos Quartet and pianist Kayo Iwama.

Ms. Raley-Cooper has been invited to sing for the late Maya Angelou, the late William Warfield, opera singers Denyce Graves, William Stone, Matthew Polenzani, Renee 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 George Frideric Handel’s Messiah and Wolfgang Amadeus 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), and Madame Flora (The Medium), Delilah (Samson et Delilah) with Venture Opera, Philadelphia Opera and Chautauqua Opera.