Mary Box is a conductor, pianist, and arts leader based in Houston Texas. After playing over forty operas at the Dallas Opera and Minnesota Opera among others, Mary studied conducting in workshops in seven countries, including the Ukraine, Czech Republic, Austria, Finland, Mexico, and Egypt. 

 

As an arts leader, Mary is the founder and artistic director of the Montrose Project, which celebrates women composers through research and performance.

 

This fall, Mary assisted Jorge Parodi in Little Women at the University of Houston's Moores Opera Center, and will conduct one performance of Suor Angelica in February of 2025. Since 2022, she has served as the Assistant Conductor for the University of Houston’s Moores Opera Center, leading rehearsals and providing diction coaching to many operas: La belle et la bête, Die Fledermaus, L’enfant et les sortilèges, Offenbach’s M. Choufleuri restera chez lui, Die lustige Witwe, and Così fan tutte.

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As the music director for Houston Grand Opera's Community & Learning "Art of Opera" high school opera camp, Mary conducted scenes from The Little Prince, Candide, and Dido and Aeneas in the Wortham Center's Cullen Theater. In 2023, Mary was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera's Community & Learning to conduct and co-create a fully-staged musical revue of classical and musical theatre works alongside stage director Evan Tsitsias. In 2022, she led the world premiere of Mark Buller’s opera, The Impresario of Oz.

 

In April of 2024, Mary joined DACAMERA for Music for New Bodies, a major new work and exciting first collaboration between the composer Matthew Aucoin and legendary director Peter Sellars, co-commissioned by DACAMERA, the Aspen Music Festival, Los Angeles Opera, and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University’s new Brockman Hall with Kathryn Lewek, Meryl Dominguez, Rachael Wilson, Brenton Ryan, and Cory McGee.

 

Despite her busy schedule, Mary maintains an active coaching schedule from her home in Houston, Texas, where she has had the opportunity to work with esteemed GRAMMY winners such as Sasha Cooke, Reginald Smith, Jr., and Richard Paul Fink.