Mary Lou has been singing jazz all her life, doing guest spots as a teenager with her Dad’s dance band in Sault Ste. Marie. She has sung with everything from big bands to small ensembles as well as solo performances at the CNE and special events such as the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction dinners. Her repertoire ranges from the classics, to world to jazz standards. Her influences are as diverse as Ella FITZGERALD, Sarah VAUGHAN, Dianne Reeves and Jackie Richardson. Equally adept in the recording studio she has appeared in commercials and recorded jingles.
Mary Lou released her jazz album “Lemon Meringue Pie” on May 10,2022 at the Jazz Bistro, to a sold out audience. An Ontario and Maritimes tour will follow in summer and fall of 2022. Mary Lou and her Musical Director John Ebata are available as a duo, with keyboards & vocal or up to a 6 piece ensemble used for the recordings.
She has written and recorded five children’s albums and recently toured a “Classic Duets” album with Musical Director John Ebata and vocalist Mark Riley of Nova Scotia. She is presently working on an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion project with Waleed Abdulhamid and John Ebata entitled “Songs For Humanity”.
Mary Lou is also an award winning music educator and recipient of the CARAS (Juno) Award for Music Education, TVOntario Award for Innovation in Music Education and was the 1999 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. She received these awards while head of Vocal Music at Dante Alighieri Academy in Toronto. She has presented at several education conferences and has toured in the Arctic with “Strings Across the Sky”, leading music camps in Tuktoyaktuk and Iqaluit.
Stay up to date with Mary Lou via her website, www.marylousicoly.com.