Aria M. Mason, mezzo-soprano
Vocalist specializing in sacred music, art song, and arias for concerts, weddings, and events
Sacred Music, Opera, Classical Art Song, Weddings
Aria M. Mason, mezzo soprano, is a talented vocalist and musician based in the Greater New Orleans area who specializes in sacred and classical music.
Ms. Mason has been seen and heard on C-Span, EWTN, WLAE-TV, WWL-TV, and has performed in Boston, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., Paris, France, and Rome, Italy, in addition to her native New Orleans and other locales in the Gulf Coast.
Aria is the co-founder, principal mezzo, and Director of Production of the renowned and award winning boutique opera company OperaCreole, which made its debut in the spring of 2011, and is the aesthetic and technical mind behind bringing the works to life on stage.
She is also the director and artistic designer of Belle Lafaye: Creations by Aria, an online boutique specializing in couture pieces for holidays and special events.
The coloratura mezzo is a member of the nationally acclaimed New Orleans Opera Chorus, and was most recently featured in the role of Annie in the 2010 production of the Gershwins' "Porgy and Bess".
Ms. Mason is a graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she studied voice with Regina McConnell. She received bachelors degrees in History and Music, and was the recipient of the Student Activities Award, among other honors. She is also an alumna of Benjamin Franklin High School and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.
Aria has shown her devotion to the role music has played in her spiritual life throughout her career. She served as Director of Music Ministry and Religious Education at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in New Orleans for four years, where she also served as Cantor and Choir Director. She has also served as a section leader of the choir at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France (better known as St. Louis Cathedral), where she also cantored televised Masses. Currently, she is Cantor of the 9:30 Mass at Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Catholic Church and can be seen providing televised commentary on WLAE-TV.
She has continued to show her commitment to the renaissance of the New Orleans community. In 2010, Aria served Mayor Mitch Landrieu on a task force designed to reexamine the structure of New Orleans' recreation department. Through her work on the inaugural faculty at Morris Jeff Community School directing the Explorers afterschool program and as a Spanish and music teacher (and past service as a founding member of City Year Louisiana and as the New Orleans Outreach Coordinator at FirstLine Schools), she has demonstrated her determination to work toward providing greater opportunities for success for the next generation of New Orleanians.
Aria is a member of The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM), and performs at various concerts and recitals in the Greater New Orleans area. She is developing a concert of Spanish art song and zarzuela, as well as a recording of lullabies.
