"Get to Know Yourself Outside of Your Audition Cut and Monologues!" - Chatting with Maurio Hines!
There is not a day that goes by that I don't come across an artist from any walk of life that inspires me. When I had the chance to be a standby in Porgy and Bess at The Metropolitan Opera in 2019-2020, it was complete inspiration overload. Everywhere I turned were artists who motivated me to keep going and to reach for the stars. Maurio Hines was one of those artists. With a powerful, beautiful voice and an electric stage presence that you remember forever, he is truly someone that is always worth the price of admission. #BlackExcellence is just the beginning when it comes to describing Mr. Hines as a performer.
Maurio has performed with the likes of The Metropolitan Opera, Greensboro College Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the East Carolina Opera just to name a few. Maurio was also a semi-finalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition. I am very honored to have the chance to interview Maurio Hines!
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?
The one thing that sticks out to me was when I was 10 years old. I was watching an 80’s dance movie called “Fast Forward” on HBO, and there was this once dance sequence where the fresh-faced trainee dancers battled it out with the street dancers at a club. I was so fascinated by what they were doing, and I said to myself, “I have to dance like that!!!”
Singing came later after I wanted to audition for a show outside of the “spring musical” at school. I was 14 when I auditioned for a show that, unbeknownst to me, was an operetta (Gilbert and Sullivan’s the Grand Duke). The only song I knew was “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.” I kid you not. I don’t know what they saw in me, but they cast me, and I learned a lot more about Opera and ended up falling in love with it!
Are there any teachers or mentors in your life who truly helped you become the amazing artist you are today?
Where to even start?! First, there are my two ballet teachers, Boleyn Willis-Zeger and Natasha Davison who didn’t just see a boy who should’ve played football (I was a big guy as a teenager), but saw a passionate dancer with the potential to take up space in the world of dance. This is why I believe that good dancing is not a body type!
There is my voice teacher from Graduate School, Dr. Louise Toppin, who not only restored my faith in singing but really instilled in me to walk boldly and proud as a black singer, as well as my current voice teacher, Susan Eicchorn-Young, who was the teacher that restored my faith in my operatic singing. I’ve always had a complicated relationship with singing but it was Susan who knew what I needed as far as my vocal development.
There is Kimberly Vaughn, my acting coach, who really got out of my comfort zone of “classical singing” and has helped me get in touch with my humanity as a person and applying that to my work. Last but not least, there is Dr. Marvin Curtis and Dan J. Long, who are well established black men in the classical music world who have taught me how to present myself, taught me life lessons and given me some of the best advice that you couldn’t put a price tag on. (I have to get better at listening to it sometimes). It takes a village to make a performer.
We are living in some unprecedented times in the world but are very fortunate right now to see a light at the end of the tunnel. For all artists (especially performers), it has definitely been a time of uncertainty. What has your everyday routine been like during Quarantine and what are some things you do to keep your spirits up?
My everyday routine consists of starting with a workout (the gym, kettlebells, or kickboxing), followed by my Buddhist practice of chanting “Nam myoho renge kyo” to get my spirit lifted and set my intention to win. (Ok, so not every day because let’s be honest, it’s a pandemic. But, it’s a roadmap that I try my best to follow.) Twice a month, I work with my acting coach, Kimberly Vaughn, via zoom on my musical theatre material to really make sure that I stay ready for when theatre opens again.
You have had a wonderful career in both the musical theatre and opera worlds that continues to inspire not only me but many others! Are there any roles and shows you have done in your career that will always stick out and be near and dear to your heart?
So, you’re going to laugh at this one. The Emerald City Private from Wizard of Oz back when I was 12. I say this because it was the first time that I realized that you didn’t have to be the lead of the show to make a lasting impression! The second role that has been dear to me is Nikos from the musical “Zorba”. This was the first time that I realized and started to believe that a guy who looked like me (a black, THICK, man) could be a believable as a leading man.
What advice would you give any young aspiring artists during these times?
Get to know yourself outside of your audition cut and monologues! Get to know who you are as a human being, and don’t be afraid to show that type of vulnerability in the room. Your work is going to be that much richer.
Also, not everyone is going to like what you do. Hell, there are going to be colleagues and people that you look up to that will tell you that they don’t think you can do it. Forgive them. You will experience a lot of criticism in this field. Know that it’s inevitable. You don’t have to take what they say to heart. Last, sometimes when a door is closed, you have to kick the door open and say (politely of course) “I belong here”.
Check out Maurio Performing "My Lord by David Auxier-Loyola" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGxvRXdS-_s