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Mary Lou Fallis (Canada)
Toronto-born Mary Lou Fallis holds a unique position in Canada’s performance scene as the country’s foremost musical comedienne. Known to millions of CBC listeners across the country for her Diva Diaries, and to thousands of theatre-goers for her Primadonna series of one-woman shows, Ms. Fallis has single-handedly re-invented the classical music comedy genre. Ms. Fallis made her operatic debut at 15 years of age as the Second Spirit in a CBC Television production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. After obtaining the first Master’s degree in Performance and Literature from the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, her career has encompassed performances of major oratorios and choral works with leading orchestras, as well as opera — with roles ranging from Despina in Cosi fan Tutte to Zerbinetta in R. Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. In addition to her North American engagements Ms. Fallis has toured the United Kingdom extensively, appearing in London’s West End, Covent Garden International Festival, the Wexford Opera Festival, and the Edinburgh International Festival. Ms. Fallis is best known as the creator and interpreter of five one-woman shows: her award-winning, Dora-nominated Primadonna, based on her own life as a singer, and two sequels Primadonna’s First Farewell Tour; and Primadonna Does More with Less, which she premiered at the Guelph Spring Festival in 2005; Emma, Queen of Song about the real-life Canadian diva, Emma Albani; The Mrs. Bach Show hosted by Anna Magdalena, wife of J.S. Bach (which she has performed for 5,000 organists at Radio City Music Hall); and Ms. Mozart, the story of Wolfgang’s sister Nannerl (created for the 1991 Mozart bicentennial). Ms. Fallis has recently ventured into the world of television as on-camera personality and producer in Bathroom Divas. Opera’s answer to Canadian Idol, Bathroom Divas features Ms. Fallis as part of the jury selecting the finalist and grand-prize winner from hundreds of hopefuls in this nation-wide challenge. Bathroom Divas is a six-part series produced by Kaleidoscope Entertainment for Bravo! NewStyleArtsChannel and is slated for broadcast in fall 2005. Ms. Fallis’ latest CD, Primadonna on a Moose, with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, is available on the Opening Day label. The disc is a collection of little-known and often uproarious vintage Canadian songs. Highlights include such hits as Oh What a Difference Since the Hydro Came, Take Your Girl Out to the Rink, and Paddle Your Own Canoe! Ms. Fallis has frequently been invited to perform selections from the disc, at such events as a 1995 tribute to Robertson Davies at Convocation Hall. Ms Fallis’ Diva Diaries was a popular Friday afternoon series on CBC Radio’s Take Five, which featured the Primadonna’s personal and hilarious observations about her travels, both real and imaginary, across Canada. Ms. Fallis balances a teaching post the University of Western Ontario with her busy performance schedule. Recent seasons have seen her in a variety of engagements around the world, from Japan to Iceland to Toronto, where she appeared as The Aviatrix in The Drowsy Chaperone. Other recent Canadian engagements include a special Toronto Symphony Orchestra Christmas concert with daughter Anna Madgett, an CBC On Stage concert with Alain Trudel’s Kioqsue á Musique at Glenn Gould Studio, performances of Ms Mozart with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Edmonton Symphony, and appearances at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and the Indian River Festival in Prince Edward Island. Her show Primadonna II: The First Farewell Tour enjoyed a month-long run at CanStage; and during the 2003/2004 season she was invited to perform Mrs. Bach with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. The show also toured the Maritimes to great critical acclaim. Upcoming engagements include a performance of the Mrs. Bach show for a conference of Lutheran Church musicians in New York City; an appearance with double bassist Joel Quarrington at the Festival of the Sound; a performance with the Forte Men’s Chorus in Toronto, a cd recording for the Amabile Choir, and a Christmas disc for ATMA Classique with the Caliban Bassoon Quartet, slated for release during the autumn of 2005. www.music.uwo.ca/bios/mfallis.html [ top ] © Festival 500 Designed by AppleCore Interactive |
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