CRISTINA MARINO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | MUSICAL THEATRE & SING! ST. JOHNS CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Meet a woman who wears many hats at our organization: Cristina Marino! Not only is Ms. Marino our Executive Director, she also teaches Musical Theatre and directs SING! St. Johns Children’s Choir AND is a student in the CPPAC Marimba Band. See what she had to say in response to your questions below.
Q: Do you have any pets? If so, what and who are they?
A: I have a tortoise shell cat named Mama who is 18 years old.
Q: Where were you born?
A: I was born in Corvallis, Oregon, the heart of the valley.
Q: What is it like being a teacher?
A: It’s challenging, and exciting, it let’s me be creative and share my love of music and theatre with my students. It’s hard to describe, but I love it.
Q: WHAT…is the average airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow!?!?!?
A: What do you mean!? African or European swallow?
Q: How long have you been a music teacher? (from Kamia)
A: I have been a music teacher for almost 8 years. Before I started teaching music, I taught environmental education.
Q: Where/what is the most unusual or surprising place/time you’ve ever performed?
A: A few years ago, I performed in an opera on a farm on Sauvie Island with Opera Theater Oregon. It was the opera “The Cunning Little Vixen” and the majority of the cast are animals, so it made sense to have it outdoors. It was a beautiful, serene setting, and every night we could watch the sunset and the bats come out while we performed.
[Note: We saw this production, and, not only was it beautiful, Cristina played her role of a hen quite convincingly!]
Q: What is your favorite song title or singer?
A: That is a tough question because it’s hard to choose just one singer or song. I don’t think I have a favorite anything. One of my favorite classical singers is Dawn Upshaw, one my favorite singer-song writers is Joni Mitchell, one of my favorite jazz singers is Ella Fitzgerald…I could keep going…