Lexicon Classics has released It’s You I Like from mezzo soprano Megan Marino and pianist John Arida. This family-friendly album brings classical music to audiences of all ages in the spirit of play.
For Marino, who sings and plays melodion on the album, the recording was a pathway to connect with those who mattered most in her life. Her first choice for a recording partner was pianist John Arida, her frequent collaborator since they worked together at Virginia Opera in 2011. “After 11 years, we were still best friends and successful itinerant musicians. But that success often came at the price of missing our home and families. Then the pandemic hit, bringing our relationships with loved ones into laser focus. Yearning for deeper connections and fully embracing the ‘sing for fun’ spirit, we set out to create a musical project that our entire family would enjoy, focusing first on the youngest members, with no motive beyond love and sharing.”
The album’s songs reflect an unapologetic embrace of kindness, beginning with the title track by Mr. Rogers. Listeners will hear well-known classics like “Pure Imagination” by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley, “Not While I’m Around” by Stephen Sondheim, and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Do-Re-Mi,” complemented by a chorus of children whose pictures are part of the recording’s whimsical artwork. Broadly varied, the album also features lesser-known pieces like two songs from How to Eat Like a Child, by John Forster, “Come In, Mornin,” from Huckleberry Finn, by Kurt Weill, and “Slow March,” by Charles Ives.
For more information, visit lexiconclassics.com/its-you-i-like
About the artists
Megan Marino (voice and melodion) is genre-adventurous and driven by a deep-rooted need to communicate, mixed with pure moxie. Seen on stages from The Metropolitan Opera, Opera national de Paris, and Carnegie Hall to Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera and Atlanta Opera, she’s established herself as a stylish musician, agile fioriturist and a fearless stage animal. Meg has been praised by Opera News as “authoritative and carefree,” “a gifted actress with a strong, appealing voice, graced by a rich lower register,” and singing with “swagger” and “vocal audacity.”
John Arida (piano) has been praised by The Washington Post as “an ardent accompanist… catching fire in the accompaniments and in the solo piece.”. His relationships with some of classical music’s most esteemed performers have led to international recital engagements in venues include Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Herbst Theater, and Spivey Hall. Beyond the concert stage, Arida has been a member of the music staff of several U.S. companies and festivals including Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Central City Opera and the Juilliard School.