by Marie Te Hapuku

Marc Persing grew up in the little town of Lewisburg, PA, right on the Susquehanna River. His childhood was spent as a boy soprano with the Lewisburg Men and Boys Choir. He loved playing Atari and Pac-Man in his spare time, and watching reruns of The Brady Bunch. Although he started as a pre-med major in college, his first voice teacher encouraged him to pursue his vocal studies - which he did, initiating a transfer to The Hartt School of Music to major in opera.

He continued with graduate studies at Westminster Choir College. Marc has been with the Met Opera Chorus since 2002, and made his debut in Les Troyens. A lifelong Beatles fan, Marc sings 2nd tenor.

What is your favorite word?

Hysterical

Which opera stars do you believe are the most influential?

Fritz Wunderlich, Alfredo Kraus, Pavarotti

Are you a bathroom singer?

Not always, but if I do sing it's usually my Beatles!

If I gave you an elephant where would you hide it?

Maybe I could teach it to cook & just put a big chef's hat on it. :)

Two things you refuse to eat?

Cold pizza & Jello

What do you do when you're not working?

Like to travel & plan family trips. Especially love to visit the National Parks and being surrounded by nature.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

I guess I do. I met my wife in Middle School & thought she was the prettiest thing I'd ever seen. We've been married for 25 years!

Which famous person would you most like to see play you in a film?

Probably Jim Carey. I think he would get a kick out of what we do here at the Met day in & day out.

If I came to your home and looked inside the refrigerator, what would I find?

Hmm...A pretty good smorgasbord of leftovers (my wife's a good cook!), lots of dairy (I LOVE cheese & yogurts GO CHOBANI!), Friendly's ice cream (Mint Chip Rocks!)

Tell me your favorite joke.

Knock, Knock! Who's there? Banana! Banana who? Banana Banana! Knock, Knock! Who's there? Banana! Banana who? Banana Banana! Knock Knock! Who's there? Orange! Orange who? "Orange" you glad I didn't say banana!

If you were an opera character, who would it be?

Probably Rodolfo. I'm just a sucker for a good love story and Bohème is one of the most touching and endearing stories in all of opera.

Where is your most favorite place in the world?

Antigua! My wife & I just celebrated our 25th Anniversary at an awesome all-inclusive resort there this past summer. The water was warm & the sun reflected its gorgeous turquoise hues. Wish I was there right now!

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?

Paul McCartney. He's just the coolest songwriting dude ever! To actually hear tunes in my head like he does and then fully realize them with the right chords, lyrics, and instruments? Amazing!

Five all-time greatest singers you’ve ever heard?

Paul McCartney, Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Sherrill Milnes, David Bowie.