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Mary is a conductor who has had the privilege of leading orchestras in seven countries over the past two years, including the United States, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Austria, Finland, Mexico, and Egypt. Her passion for opera is evident through her extensive experience playing over 40 operas at prestigious venues such as The Dallas Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera San Antonio, Austin Opera, and Sarasota Opera. Additionally, Mary has garnered significant experience coaching some of the world's top opera singers.

 

Recently, Mary was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera's Community & Learning program to conduct and co-create a fully-staged musical revue of classical and musical theatre works alongside stage director Evan Tsitsias. She also led the world premiere of Mark Buller's opera, "The Impresario of Oz", during her time at HGO.

 

In the previous season, Mary served as the Assistant, Associate, and Cover Conductor for the University of Houston's Moores Opera Center, contributing to productions such as Philip Glass' La belle et la bête and Die Fledermaus.

 

Mary's solo debut with the Woodlands Symphony Orchestra in May of 2022 showcased her talent as she conducted works by Richard Strauss, Gustav Holst, and John Williams.

 

Continuing her dedication to growth and learning, Mary has participated in eight conducting workshops across the world. Notably, she studied under Ahmed el Saedi with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, focusing on Mahler, Mozart, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Chopin. Her studies also brought her to Helsinki, Finland, where she worked with Sasha Mäkilä and the Helsinki Metropolitan Orchestra, delving into the works of Schubert, Wagner, and Brenno Blauth. Mary has also studied and conducted arias and overtures with the Vincerò Academy in Monterrey, Mexico, and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra in Olomouc, Czech Republic, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 with Don Schleicher and the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin, and Brahms' symphonies with Carl St. Clair and the Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in Ukraine. She has also studied Così fan tutte with Toby Purser at the Vienna Opera Academy for Conductors and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite at the Conducting Masterclass and Workshop Series in Chicago.

 

Mary is an advocate for women in the arts and recently established The Montrose Project, an organization based in Houston that focuses on discovering and performing works by women composers.

 

In 2021, Mary joined the music staff of The Dallas Opera for several various exciting projects including the world premiere recording of Joby Talbot's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition, the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, Madama Butterfly with Emmanuel Villaume, and Il barbiere di Siviglia with Lina Gonzalez-Granados.

 

Despite her busy schedule, Mary maintains an active coaching schedule from her home in Houston, Texas, where she has had the opportunity to work with esteemed GRAMMY winners such as Sasha Cooke, Reginald Smith, Jr., and Richard Paul Fink.