Meet Megan Marino & Michael Mayes | Musicians (primarily opera singers)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Megan Marino & Michael Mayes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan Marino & Michael Mayes, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Between us, we have been coming to Creede for about 20 years. Michael’s parents had retired there, and we would often spend the holidays with them, as well as off time in between opera gigs.

Michael had rediscovered his country music roots with some local musicians, playing country and folk music and throwing in the odd opera aria and art song. He had even done a fundraiser for the theater which was very well attended. We were inspired during the pandemic to put together a band and convinced a friend of ours who owned the Creede Hotel and Restaurant to put the band up in town and sponsor a week of concerts in an artists-in-residency arrangement.

These concerts were so successful that we decided Creede would be the perfect place to bring musicians from around the world to share their talents with each other and our town in a collaborative and accessible format that would elevate the musical landscape in Mineral County to a level commensurate with the already thriving arts scene, and beautiful surroundings

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In addition to our duties at Creede Musical Arts Collective (CMAC), Michael and I are both full-time opera singers, and work both domestically and abroad. The road to a full time career in the opera industry is a difficult one to navigate, and we’re both often shocked when we find ourselves singing in places like The Metropolitan Opera (NYC) or the Royal Theater (Teatro Real) in Madrid. I grew up playing piano, singing musical theater, and acting in plays in suburban Philadelphia, while Michael grew up singing bluegrass, country and southern gospel music. Those places are as far from the opera stage as they appear…maybe further, and that is part of the reason we have been so successful in the opera industry. Our diverse origins have been instrumental in both our careers as musical storytellers, and the unique perspectives we both bring to the opera stage are rooted in our non-operatic musical inclinations.

One of the reasons we began CMAC was to bring music from around the world to this beautiful town, and give musicians a place to play the music they love, and collaborate with musicians from other genres. We leaned into cross-genre collaboration during the pandemic at The Atlanta Opera with our Crossroads concert that featured opera singers playing and singing the music that they loved- from bluegrass to gospel, country, folk, and more. The response from artists and audiences alike was overwhelming. The artists loved breaking free from the shackles of their own discipline, and the audiences loved seeing classical musicians let their hair down a bit and cut loose with the music that, for many of them, was the reason they started their musical journey in the first place.

That was the energy we wanted to bring to Creede. Our inaugural season not only boasted talent from the Santa Fe Opera with world class orchestral musicians and singers, but award winning bluegrass musicians as well- and the collaboration between these artists was truly a joy to behold. Our second season promises to bring even more exciting artists to Creede with an expanded events schedule, including some educational components as well. We will have a diverse roster of artists this year including flamenco musicians and dancers, a nuevo tango band, folk artists as well as classical singers and musicians from the Santa Fe Opera orchestra.

It can be daunting to assemble musicians from such disparate musical traditions and geographical locations in a Colorado mountain town 9,000 feet about sea level- but we have been able to count on the hospitality of the local community and generosity of our artists (whom often come to us for less than what they can command in other markets just for the opportunity to make really cool music in a beautiful place and be a part of something special) to do whatever it takes to ensure that the music not only stays alive in Creede, but thrives. We have taken the “If you build it, they will come” approach to CMAC and so far both the audiences and artists have played their part virtuosically.

If you’re coming to a CMAC show in Creede, you are guaranteed to have a unique musical and artistic experience in some of the most picturesque landscapes that the American West has to offer, and that’s something you just can’t get anywhere else.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Creede is an incredible town and one of Colorado’s hidden gems. Anytime someone comes in to town, we have to stop and have dinner at The Creede Hotel and Restaurant. As soon as you walk in the door you know you’re in an authentic mining town establishment, and not some Disnified wild west caricature. The hotel and bar have been there since the 19th century and has born witness to all the boom and bust that is the hallmark of a mining town in the American West- but the cuisine curated by Executive Chef John Arp is anything but old-fashioned. From hearty homespun favorites like meatloaf, lobster mac and cheese, and a chicken fried steak that would make any Texan homesick- to a grilled ratatouille or ramen- Chef Arp never fails to impress- and their specialty cocktails are always a fun and interesting way to start out an evening.

Just next door to the hotel is the legendary Creede Repertory Theater- an organization that we are proud to be partnering with this year for an evening featuring the music Rogers and Hammerstein and the artists of CRT and CMAC. CRT is truly a jewel in Colorado’s artistic crown- just ask the Tony- and Emmy Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin, a company member in 1971 and 1974, who ended up building a home here in Mineral County who was quoted in the NYT as saying “Paradise was defined for me and birthed in me by the theater of Creede, Colorado,” he said by phone recently. “It taught me what the theater was truly about: everyone working together to bring people together.” The theater is definitely a must for anyone coming to Creede for the first time. Not only is it first rate, but you will see the entire cross-section of the Creede diaspora gathered together to take in the boards- and there is nothing quite like the blend of folks and personalities that you run into in that lobby.

You can’t come to Creede without taking in the natural beauty that is all around you. For the adventurous, you might take a hike up to the Wheeler geologic area and see some of the most striking alien landscape one could see without leaving the planet- or for those whom might have less mobility there’s the bachelor loop that winds through Willow Creek Canyon and drops you off just south of downtown after taking you on a whirlwind tour through the historical mining area complete with abandoned mining works and a scenic experience that would make any Hollywood western movie producer green with envy. (Parts of the Lone Ranger Movie were shot in that very canyon years ago, a testament to its beauty and authenticity).

…and you can’t really say you’ve been to Creede unless you stayed at the local watering hole, Tommyknocker’s Tavern, until close and heard Caldera or Mojones play their hearts out to a crowd that runs the gamut from hunters, miners, locals, actors to musicians, artists, retirees, tourists and whomever else happened to stumble into the bar that night. I’ve seen things at Tommyknockers that will stay with me for as long as I walk this earth, and some that I still can’t talk about!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’d love to dedicate our shoutout to the Community of Creede itself. Launching a non-profit in a town like Creede is impossible without their commitment and dedication. We’ve been helped tremendously by the different organizations and businesses in town, and without them we could have never gotten CMAC off of the ground.

There are a few organizations in particular whose assistance and guidance were crucial to our inaugural season’s success:

-The Creede Mining Heritage Foundation, which donated the use of the beautiful Sunnyside Chapel Event Space for some of our concerts

-The Creede Hotel and Restaurant, whose proprietor Shelly Dee and executive chef, John Arp, have been donated time, performance space, accommodation and catering.

-The Creede Arts Council which has been instrumental in making introductions to the community as well as setting us up with a grammy award winning recording engineer, and sponsoring two Music in the Park concerts.

-Our incredible board whose hard work, insight and financial support have been indispensable in getting us off on the right foot with the community

-Our hard working volunteers who give up their weekends to help take tickets, usher and set up for our concerts.

-Our generous donors whose donations ensure that we can provide the community with opportunities to see our artists for free, as well as subsidizing tickets costs so that anyone who wishes can attend our events, regardless of economic status.

All of these people and organizations have come together in the most beautiful way to ensure that CMAC will be an institution in Creede for decades to come.

Website: www.CreedeMusicalArtsCollective.org

Instagram: @CreedeMAC

Facebook: @CreedeMAC

Other: Tiktok: CreedeMAC