Mary Lou Basaraba “Meet the Musician”
Originally written for the California Philharmonic’s “Meet the Musician” series created by staff writer Christina Linhardt
For those of you who have experienced the dazzling 160 voice Cal Phil Chorale, you may wonder how such vocal magic happens. Behind this great choir is a brilliant and tireless woman, Mary Lou Basaraba, known to the California Philharmonic community as Maestra Marya Basaraba. As Ms. Basaraba’s choral conducting career as an operatic soloist skyrocketed, a friend and colleague suggested that “Mary Lou” sounded too much like a country singer. Thus, being of Ukrainian heritage, the opera Impresaria chose “Marya”, the Slavic version of Mary, as her stage name.
Born in a small mining town in Canada, Mary Lou relocated several times during childhood as her father, a depression era farm kid, and the first in his family to attend college, worked his way towards upper level management as a chemical engineer at the head office of his company in Montreal.
Mary Lou did not grow up in a musical environment, but upon noticing the neighbors receiving piano lessons, begged her mother for lessons as well. When Mary Lou was 9 years old, the father moved the family to Montreal, her mother acquired a piano and Mary Lou started her piano lessons at the local convent with a very strict nun, who embraced the stereotypical old school disciplinary tradition of slapping a ruler on a student’s hands. After a year of enduring such rigid instruction, Mary Lou began lessons with a new teacher, Rita Barg, who taught in the basement of a church. By the time Mary Lou was 12 years old she was already helping Ms. Barg teach other students, as well as being given the rare responsibility of directing the children’s choir.
This exceptional opportunity set a pattern of doors opening to favorable experiences in Mary Lou Basaraba’s life. As her family had high standards it was just expected of her to walk through the doors presented.
Her father’s main interest was sports, so Mary Lou followed suit, pursuing downhill skiing, becoming a top level swimmer, and even teaching swimming lessons at an indoor pool which was used by Olympic athletes for training.
Graduating from high school at age 16, she debated whether to major in Physical Education or music. Her piano teacher persuaded her to attend McGill University to study music education, keyboard and chorale conducting. Though Mary Lou was somewhat of a jock, in her army fatigues and combat boots, she nevertheless pursued music full time causing her father to cut her off financially. Yet this did not phase her as she was comfortable in the Bohemian life-style, living with friends, already earning her keep by teaching swimming lessons, life-guarding, playing piano for ballet classes and musical theater, and even cutting hair. She had a knack for knowing how to trim the wild tresses of campus jazz cats and alternative musicians in a hip fashion, and so was sought after as a stylist as well.
It was her chorale conducting professor, Wayne Riddell, who hired her as a paid chorister at St. Andrews church, starting her career as a singer. She then also joined the opera studio at McGill University.
At age 18, already having been at the University for 2 years, the trailblazing young Ms. Basaraba sought out student government becoming the first female Student Senator.
This wasn’t the only glass ceiling she was to break. After finishing her studies in Music Education in Chorale Conducting at the University and backpacking through Europe, she found herself becoming one of the first female broadcasters in Canada. She also continued working as an actor and opera singer in Montreal, eventually moving to Los Angeles, with her then husband, conductor Clyde Mitchell, who to this day, despite their separation, remains a trusted colleague and friend.
Only 5 years in Hollywood, a town most people spend a life time trying get a break in, Mary Lou landed a job as a regular on a French-English T.V. series “Lance et Compte”, also known as “He Shoots, He Scores”. Filming in both Canada and Switzerland as her character “the Diva from Geneva, Mary Lou had the pleasure of singing on the stage of the Geneva Opera House during one episode.
While working as an actress she continued her studies of music, attending Cal State Long Beach, singing as a guest artist at the U.S.C. opera studio and training under renowned soprano and vocal teacher Shigemi Matsumoto. Mary Lou accredits Shigemi, “the epitome of the beautiful, glamorous opera diva”, for helping her reach the “full potential” of her voice, launching Marya’s career
as an acclaimed opera, oratorio and symphony orchestra soloist. She has performed with the San Diego, Victoria, Texas, Vancouver, Newfoundland, West Coast, Montreal , Marina del Rey/Culver City, Rio Hondo, Bellflower, Los Angeles Doctors, San Bernardino, Pacific Palisades, Inland Empire and Channel Island Symphonies; , the Strauss Symphony of America and the Torrance, the San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley and Riverside Master Chorales, the Tudor Singers and Le Studio Ancienne de Montreal, the Toronto Operetta Theater, L’Opera de Montreal, L’Opera du Chambre de Quebec, Grand Theatre de Geneve, Bel Canto Opera, Mukungwha Opera, Arizona Opera, Nevada State Opera, Opera East (Nova Scotia), Santa Clarita Light Opera, Redlands Bowl Festival Opera and the Long Beach Opera.
All the while, working as a television star, section leader in church choirs and operatic singer, Ms. Basaraba never forgot her roots as a chorale conductor, nor did her colleagues, which is how she became affiliated with the Cal Phil.
In 2008, opera star Susana Guzman, who was singing with the orchestra, phoned Marya, explaining that the organization was in sudden need of a chorale conductor. “You will put a good chorus behind me…can you?” Ms. Guzman asked. Thus began Maestra Basaraba’s tenure with the Cal Phil,
creating, nurturing and delivering a spectacular 160 voice choir, with a roster of 400 singers, some of whom come from as far as Reno, Nevada to perform with the chorale, scheduling their entire summer plans around Cal Phil concerts.
“Victor’s programming is radically different and unexpected,” she professes, describing how performing The Little Mermaid Suite and Beethoven’s 9th in one program really gives the choral singers an opportunity to stretch and sink their teeth into varied repertoire. She also appreciates that Maestro Victor Vener consults her not only regarding repertoire, but soloists as well, allowing her to contract
many of the guest artists.
Now that she has turned her focus towards conducting more she finds herself in the role of mentor
and facilitator. And just as doors had been opened for her throughout her career she is in a position to open doors for hundreds of singers in Southern California from students to professionals, to those who just want to sing. She also serves as the director of Music and Performing Arts Ministries at Grace Lutheran Church, Chorus Master at Temple Akiba, and the Music Director of the Spirit Alive Fellowship in Irwindale.
“The singing voice is the voice of the soul,” she proclaims, “and to each of my choir members,”
(she knows each one of them personally) “I say ‘it is meaningful to me that you come to sing for us….I see you.’” And because of Maestra Marya Basaraba audiences and fans of the Cal Phil not only get to see the spectacular Cal Phil Chorale but experience their glorious sound.
