DESCRIPTION:
Mary Setrakian was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She has been a resident of New York City for the past 25 years performing professionally, in conjunction with teaching master voice to a variety of artists in New York, Los Angeles and internationally throughout Italy.

She has been seen on Broadway in Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing (cast recording), and toured the US and Europe with Broadway shows including Phantom of the Opera (Madame Giry), Les Miserables, Hello, Dolly! (seen in several performances as Irene Molloy across from Carol Channing) and Evita (as Eva Peron in Duisberg, Germany). Mary was featured at Carnegie Hall in Jubilee directed by Herbert Ross.

Off-Broadway credits include the Duchess in Dorian Gray and featured roles in Jones & Schmidt's Colette Collage (cast recording) and Bob Merrill's Hannah...1939 starring Julie Wilson (cast recording). Regional credits include her award winning portrayals of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Trina in Falsettos, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and her critically acclaimed one-woman show, A New York Romance: The LA Times exclaimed "Mary Setrakian is dazzling!"

At the beginning of her career, Mary starred off-Broadway in over 20 productions with the Light Opera of Manhattan in title roles such as Naughty Marietta and The Merry Widow; and Gilbert & Sullivan classics like HMS Pinafore (Josephine) and Iolanthe (Phyllis).

Presently, Mary is performing her one-woman Salon around the country and in Italy. This intimate evening of Song and Camaraderie embraces many musical styles including Broadway, Pop, Rock, and Opera, and she includes stories and songs from her Armenian heritage and her beloved Italy. Mary is also singing with orchestras in the US and internationally: from an evening with the SSO at her alma mater, Stanford University, to her solo concert debut in Milan, Italy with the Avant Orchestra, a concert of Big Band meets Broadway at the Teatro Delle Erbe, garnering rave reviews.

As a voice teacher, Mary prepared Nicole Kidman for her Golden Globe Award winning and Oscar nominated performance in Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge. She taught the stars of John Turturro's musical movie Romance & Cigarettes, including Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mandy Moore and Bobby Cannavale. Mary recently worked with Mary J. Blige who is preparing to play the icon Nina Simone in her feature film debut.

Mary is called upon by Disney to teach the leading players for the Broadway and touring companies of Elton John's Billy Elliot, Aida and The Lion King, Phil Collins' Tarzan, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams.

Other students include Juliette Binoche, Milla Jovovich, Sierra Boggess, Kerry Washington, Debra Cox, Aida Turturro, Annabella Sciorra, Keri Russell, Tate Donovan, Micky Dolenz, Simone, Charles Osgood, Gala, and Italian stars Serena Autieri and FIlippo Timi.

Internationally, Mary is currently a Guest Artist several times a year at the Pop/Rock School of Italian guitar legend Franco Mussida in Milan, Italy, CPM (Centro Professione Musica.) She has been teaching a variety of Intensives and Master Classes in Rome, Milan, Naples, Palermo, San Remo and Moscow since 2005 with Italian Manager, Domenico Stante.

Mary is proud to be the head of the Voice Department at The Susan Batson Studio, LLC in New York City for the past 12 years. She has studied acting with her mentor, Susan Batson, for over 20 years.

Because of her extensive work with Susan Batson, Mary is passionate to bring the craft of acting connecting with the singing technique to all of her students around the world. She is currently writing a book: The Singing Artist: A Way of Life that will be published by the Italian music publishing company, Curci, later this year.

Mary holds a Masters in Voice Performance from the New England Conservatory with Distinction and is a graduate of Stanford University in Music/Voice with Honors. She studied at the Tanglewood Music Festival with Phyllis Curtain and was a voice student of Joan Heller, Mark Pearson, Marie Gibson and Corinne Swall.