A male soprano rather than a countertenor -- his voice never broke -- Samuel Mariño has an agile voice that enables him to specialize in demanding parts in Baroque and Classical-period operas and oratorios. He is also the founder of a historically oriented ensemble of his own.

Mariño was born in 1993 in Caracas, Venezuela. He matriculated at Venezuela's National Conservatory in Caracas, studying piano and voice, and he also took ballet courses at the country's National School of Dance. His turn toward early music came when he performed with the Baroque ensemble Camerata Barroca, an ensemble that boasted not only Venezuelan star Gustavo Dudamel among its roster of guest conductors but also foreign figures like the Theodore Kuchar and, most importantly, the Baroque music specialist Helmuth Rilling. Mariño traveled to France for further courses at the Conservatoire de Paris and has continued his studies, mentored by the lyric soprano Barbara Bonney. He has been supported by a scholarship from the Rotary Club of Salzburg. Prizes during the 2017-2018 season helped Mariño's career along. He won the interpretation award in the International Singing Competition at the Opéra de Marseille and the audience prize at Germany's Neue Stimmen Competition. In 2018, Mariño made his European stage debut at the Handel Festival in Halle, Germany, performing the role of Alessandro in Handel's Berenice to great success and earning a nomination from the magazine OpernWelt as the Best Revelation Artist.

Mariño soon found himself in demand for Baroque roles by Handel, Gluck, and other composers. In Budapest in the 2018-2019 season, he was heard in Bach's Mass in B minor, BWV 232. He has also appeared in bel canto operatic roles, including Oscar in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, Romeo in Bellini's I Capuleti ed I Montecchi, Arsace in Rossini's Aureliano in Palmira, and as Maria in Bernstein's West Side Story. In 2019, Mariño founded his own group, Ensemble Teseo, aimed at bringing forgotten Baroque works and techniques to operatic and concert stages. Mariño released his debut album, Care Pupille, featuring arias by Handel and Gluck, on the Orfeo label in 2020, moving to the major Decca label for the recital Sopranista in 2022. ~ James Manheim, Rovi