Mahina Gallinger
Summer Administrative Assistant
The American-Hawaiian soprano Mahina Gallinger, born in Honolulu, began her musical training at the age of 10 with flute lessons and children’s choir at the Honolulu First Church of the Nazarene. During her high school years, she performed with the La Pietra school/show choir, including in the TV Christmas concert by American actor Jim Nabors (Christmas with Friends and Nabors). Later, during her studies at Point Loma Nazarene University, she gained further musical experience, including as a soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah and as a student conductor for choir and concert band.
During Gallinger’s undergraduate years, she performed as a soprano soloist in various church choirs (San Diego, Point Loma, Chula Vista) and also as a youth choir director at First Presbyterian Church in San Diego. At that time, her first roles were Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas followed by Violetta from Verdi’s La Traviata.
Her Master’s degree at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas enabled her to deepen and perfect her musical expertise and vocal studies with Prof. Dr. Anderson. At the University of Nevada, she first sang the role of Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte followed by her first operetta experience in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus as Rosalinde. Gallinger completed her studies with the role of Marguerite from Gounod’s Faust, Desiree Armfeldt in Sondheim’s musical A Little Night Music and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni. During this time, she also worked there as an assistant to the opera director and performed in various concerts and recitals. In 2008, a scholarship from the American Institute for Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, enabled her to take part in a master class with Barbara Bonney and perform with the Spirituals ensemble.
Since 2010, Gallinger has lived in Germany with her husband and two children and has sung as a choral soprano at Theater Lüneburg and Stadttheater Bremerhaven. In 2018, she began working as a prompter at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven. Since 2019 she works as a stage manager at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven.