2026 Women Of Live: Mary Petro

Mary Petro
United Talent Agency | Agent

CONCERT THAT CHANGED HER LIFE | “Seeing Stromae at Madison Square Garden was an absolute dream. I so admire the unique way he approaches his craft and have been in love with his music for years.”

As someone who grew up during the memorable MTV’s “Total Request Live” era, Mary Petro knows what’s up, and she’s doing her part in creating unforgettable memories as an agent at United Talent Agency.

Petro witnessed singer/actress Cynthia Erivo leading a singalong with more than 10,000 people — a moment Petro could only describe as “magic”—and has worked with Mon Laferte and Natalia Lafourcade, two of Latin music’s most respected female artists. She was also involved in Jon Batiste’s “Big Money Tour,” and each experience with such artists reminds her why she works in the business.

“Music has always been a big part of my life. I’ve always had an appreciation for a wide variety of genres,” Petro says. “At home, my parents would play as much James Brown and Bruce Springsteen as they did Fairuz and Celia Cruz. One of my earliest memories is of my mother pointing out what would then become my first violin, serving as the start of a more than 20-year career as a classical musician. One moment, I’m on stage with an orchestra and on the very same day, attempting (and failing) to learn the choreography to ‘Thriller.’”

Petro realized her calling wasn’t so much in classical music but in the live experience, and so she studied music business in college before taking on an event production gig in New Orleans. She eventually found her way at Columbia Artists before joining UTA in 2016.

Petro encourages others to “embrace the unknown” and soak in as much knowledge as possible in the ever-evolving live industry. “My biggest fear is complacency,” she says. “In my eyes, the moment you resign yourself to thinking that you have everything down pat is the very same moment you begin to fail. I recognize that I don’t know everything, and I’m on a constant journey to learn more; a journey to be better. Doing something well is fine – it can always be done better.”

And one way to learn how to do things better is to embrace the losses as much as the victories, Petro says. “It’s human nature to get frustrated when things don’t go your way, but without failure, what would be success? Once you accept and learn from this, the path to success becomes clearer.”