Mariela Palencia

• 2024 Music International Grand Prix, Finalist
• 2024 Virginia NATS lower college Classical, 1st place
• 2023 CS Music Certified Artist
• 2023 CS Music All State Singer
• 2022 Schmidt Vocal Arts competition, 1st place
• 2022 VMEA Honor Choir
• 2022 Recipient of The Anthony Quinn Scholarship
• 2021 AAMS Opera International Competition, 1st place, Senior Division
• 2021 All-National Honor Ensemble (NAfME)
• 2021 NATS Mid-Atlantic Region Lower High School Classical, Honors, 1st Place
• 2021 NATS Virginia Lower High School Classical Division, Honors, 1st place
• 2021 NATS Virginia Lower High School Musical Theater Division, Honors, 1st Place
• 2021 All-Virginia Mixed Chorus, soloist
• 2021 CS Music Certified Artist
• 2021 CS Music 2nd round
• 2021 Music International Grand Prix Semifinalist, 1st place DC Classical division
• 2020 NATS National Competition, Lower High School, Classical
• 2020 NATS Mid-Atlantic Region Lower High School Classical, Honors, 2nd Place
• 2020 NATS DC/MD Lower High School Classical, Honors, Honors, 3rd Place
• 2020-2023 All-Virginia Chorus, Fairfax County District Chorus
• 2020 Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Vocal Department Honors
• 2019 AADGT International Young Gifted Musician Festival, Gold Medal Winner
• 2019 North International Music Competition, 2nd Prize
• 2019 Concert Artists International Virtuoso Competition, 3rd Place
• 2019 Golden Classical Music Awards, 1st Prize
• 2019 Crescendo International Music Competition, 1st Prize
• 2019 Forte International Music Competition, Finalist

MARIELA PALENCIA is a classically trained vocalist, pianist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from the Washington DC area. She studied voice and piano with Megan Sanchez from the age of 8.

She has performed with the Washington National Opera, The Fairfax Symphony, and the Victorian Lyric Opera, as well as in New York City at The Broadway Theater, at Carnegie Hall, and at Radio City Music Hall. Mariela has won many competitions and awards including being a NATS national finalist in the classical category, winning 1st place in the Schmidt Vocal Arts competition in Nashville, TN and being awarded the prestigious Anthony Quinn Scholarship to help offset the cost of attending the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artist program. She has been awarded 1st place in both the classical and musical theater categories in the Virginia state level NATS competition and went on to win first place in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition in the Classical division as well! In 2021, Mariela participated in the Curtis School Alumni Mentorship program, attended the Interlochen Classical Voice and Opera program and the Boston Conservatory classical vocal intensive. In high school, Mariela was an honors student, participated in choir and theater and was a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the Thespian Honor Society. She now attends the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University where she is a vocal performance major and a member of the select ensemble, The Peabody Camerata, where she has been a futured soloist. Mariela is studying voice under the acclaimed soprano, Elizabeth Futral.