Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Magarino.
Hi Catherine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I was born and raised in Miami, the daughter of Cuban immigrants. My parents were both public school teachers who worked very hard to give me the kind of life they wished for me to have. My love for the arts stemmed from them– my father is a visual artist and taught elementary art, and my mom is a dancer and singer. Thanks to them, I got started in dance classes at the young age of 2 and studied ballet, tap, jazz, and flamenco (Spanish) dance. This was my formal introduction to the arts, but I always loved singing and considered it a hobby. In first grade, I actually wrote my first little tune, and in fourth grade is when I started learning guitar and really writing full-length songs. Singing was always kind of my hidden talent, though, and was never really something I shared openly with others.
That all changed when I was cast as Belle in our 8th-grade production of Beauty & the Beast. People started telling me that they really thought I could sing. I decided that I wanted to really try to take it seriously. I began taking lessons with my great-aunt, who was an opera singer in Cuba and started singing for local events—weddings, concerts, etc. When I was 18, I auditioned for the School of Music (now called Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts) at Florida International University and got in. This is where I learned how to read music, and voice techniques, in earnest. Thanks to the training and connections I made at FIU, I was able to make my professional opera debut in 2019 with Magic City Opera, playing the Sandman & Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel.
Throughout this journey, I continued writing songs, and when the pandemic hit, everything in terms of live performance came to a stop. I missed music so much and needed a place to channel my creativity, so I started learning about music production online. When auditions and performances started picking up again, I decided to pursue my love of musical theater and debuted in my first role post-undergrad and post-pandemic as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Seminole Theatre Players. Since then, I’ve gotten the theater bug and have performed in lots of productions to date, including The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia!, Matilda the Musical, and West Side Story to name a few favorites. I also originated a role in a World Premiere musical, Always Remember. To say that I have performed in these iconic shows is a dream come true. I have also recorded and released original songs onto streaming platforms, and am proud to say that my music has been streamed internationally. I’m really excited to continue working on original music, and even prouder to say that my work is self-produced. I plan on releasing a full-length album sometime next year.
When I’m not working hard as a singer, songwriter, actor, or dancer, I’m also a passionate educator. I teach all ages singing, piano, and musical theater. I like to think my passion and knowledge developed naturally from watching my parents care for their students. During the pandemic, I branched out on my own and started a small business, CM Music Studios LLC. Seeing the business of music from both the performing side and the administrative side inspired me to apply for business school. I got into the online MBA program at FIU Chapman Graduate School of Business. Some people think music and numbers don’t mix, but I like to think I prove them wrong. I graduated with my MBA in December 2022, and I did so well in school I earned a scholarship. I’m grateful for all my business knowledge, which I truly believe makes me a better artist in unexpected ways.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a child of immigrants is never easy. There’s always pressure to succeed and live the life that your parents and family dreamed about but never got the chance to pursue. Because I have so many passions and talents, I have often felt misguided. Especially in my teens, I had no idea what I was doing. I’m not ashamed to say that when I was 17, I was hospitalized with bad depression that affected me terribly when I was younger. I had an extremely low perception of my self-worth and self-image. It didn’t help that growing up in the dance world, there’s a lot of pressure to look a certain way. I still remember the first time I was purposely left out of a group dance by a not-so-nice teacher, not because of skill, but because of appearances.
This unfortunately is still prevalent today, especially in the musical theater world. There are lots of casting decisions still being made based on appearances. Although typecasting still exists, I do see people striving to have better representation and diversity on stage and screen. I believe one purpose of art is to mirror society back to itself. To achieve this, we need to see diverse representation. I’ve always believed audiences want to see themselves, and as actors we are storytellers. We need to be conscious that we are telling all types of stories, not just the ones that fit a certain narrative or perspective. I hope to keep seeing the rise of artists who fit all different backgrounds, races, ages, ethnicities, body types, abilities, and more.
The medication helped me a lot when I was younger, as well as taking my mental health seriously. Therapy changed my life. Because I was in an unhealthy place, I also was attracting unhealthy people who did not support my best interests. I made a lot of bad choices which hurt myself and others, and I’m sorry for that. When I started taking care of myself and working on my relationship with myself, I started forming better connections with others. I’m grateful to have good friends now.
There’s also the competition that artists face within the industry. I used to compare myself a lot to others and measure success based on what I was able to accomplish before someone else did. Now I know that the best way to stand out is by being myself, being uniquely me, and honoring that. Measuring success based on my own terms. Though artists compete in a tough industry, we each have the advantage of our uniqueness. A mentor of mine taught me that each voice is like a fingerprint, totally unique. This goes for all forms of artistry. We are the only species on earth that can create art. It’s a uniquely human experience. If we embrace that, whoever our art is meant to touch and speak to will reach them. Whether it’s an audience of 1 or 1,000, always create from the heart.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As I mentioned, I trained in dance, and the ballet was really my first love. I have experience in opera and musical theater, as well as film, voiceover, dubbing, concerts, recitals, live radio, sacred music, and choral music. I am a songwriter inspired by love, grief, and most recently, spirituality. I recently premiered an original Praise and Worship song I wrote called “Walk on the Water.” Some of my favorite humans know me as their singing or piano teacher.
I’m really proud of my musical theater work, as well as my songwriting accomplishments. Last year I was nominated for BroadwayWorld Miami Metro Awards for the first time ever. I was nominated as Best Performer in a Musical for my performance as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Best Supporting Performer in a Musical for my performance as Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music with LCA Performing Arts Company. Both of those roles I am extremely proud of, both are so different, but I worked so hard in them. Esmeralda was challenging because it was a lot of dancing and moving around on stage while singing, but also vocally it sat lower in my range than I was used to. The acting material was also very heavy, so I had to work to get into that darker place for the audience.
Mother Abbess is traditionally played by an older woman, so it was fun to push myself there to embrace that maternal element. It’s also some of my favorite music of all time, but so vocally demanding, especially “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” I was really happy to have my opera roots while working in that role. My favorite song that I’ve released (so far) has to be “The Story of You and Me.” I’m proud that I was able to turn my pain from a really bad break-up into art. I remember writing it and thinking “Wow, that’s actually a really good song.” I’m fortunate that it found success and people all over the world have listened to it. It is a bit insane to me, and I still have ‘pinch me, I’m dreaming’ moments. I truly believe the best is yet to come!
I think what sets me apart is my heart. Everything I do, I do it with love. If I’m working on a project, it’s because I love what it represents, I love the people I am collaborating with, and I love what we are creating together. I love songwriting because I can connect with people and maybe help someone feel better by showcasing my own experiences. I know how music has helped me, and I dream of recreating that feeling for people who need it most.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’m grateful for all the people I learned dancing, singing, and acting techniques from, as well as my professors throughout my academic journey. None of this would have been possible without my first voice teacher, my great-aunt Luisa. I didn’t expect to be learning opera technique from her—I just wanted to sing Disney songs—but she completely transformed my voice, and instilled confidence in me and life lessons that I still carry with me to this day. I will never forget her telling me, “Pa’ cantar, hay que ser valiente.” (English translation: “To sing, one must be brave.”) Everyone at FIU was also instrumental in helping me pursue a career in music. Three professors in particular really helped shape me: Dr. Scott Tripp, Dr. Vindhya Khare, and Dr. Kathryn Longo. I will forever appreciate the lessons they gave me.
I’m also grateful to the people I’ve worked with who made the decision to cast me in their shows, and who believed in me and my voice enough to give me a platform to express what I needed to say (or sing). The ones who’ve streamed my songs or even listened to a small portion. I send love to all those who believe in me and especially those who don’t, for giving me motivation to prove them wrong. I’m grateful to those who’ve trusted me enough to guide them or their children through the artistic journey of learning an instrument. There’s something to learn from everyone, especially my inspiring students. Above all, my closest family and friends, whose unwavering support have seen me through all the ups and downs.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.catherinemagarino.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinemagarino
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.magarino/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinemagarino/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/catherinemagarino
- Other: https://sptfy.com/catherinemagarino
Image Credits
Michelle Nicole Photography, Gerard Ortega, and Seminole Theatre
