Mary Lou Sicoly, a Toronto-based Sault native and versatile Juno-nominated singer, will be returning to her hometown for a performance at The Loft on Thursday, May 29.
“I’ve performed at the Algoma Fall Festival in the Sault but this concert will certainly be one of the nicest I’ve done. I'm thrilled and grateful to be able to come back to my hometown at any time to make some good music,” Sicoly told SooToday.
Sicoly's musical roots run deep.
Her father Orlando Sicoly was a local school teacher and musician who introduced her to music as a child, leading her to a long and multifaceted career as a singer.
She sang in her church choir and with her father’s dance band. She worked as a schoolteacher for seven years in the Sault, specializing in music, before moving to Toronto. After teaching for nearly 30 years in Toronto, she retired from education in 2004 and devoted more time to her personal music career.
She wrote, recorded and toured with Kidz Kidding, an entertainment trio for children.
Her husband Jerry Cingolani was a well-known accordionist in Toronto.
His death in 2017 was a heavy personal and professional blow for Sicoly.
John Ebata, Sicoly’s current musical director, and Micah Barnes, a singer and songwriter who played with The Nylons, encouraged her to return to singing.
“Micah brought me along. It was a tough go right after Jerry passed. Micah got me right back on my feet again and I haven't looked back. We worked together and that's what brought me to where I am now,” Sicoly said.
Having released five children’s albums with Kidz Kidding, she returned to singing and released her own jazz album entitled Lemon Meringue Pie in April 2022. The album can be found on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music and YouTube.
“We released it at Jazz Bistro, a premium jazz club in Toronto. I played a sold out show. It was one of the most exciting nights of my life. It was me getting back up on my feet,” Sicoly said.
She tours in southern Ontario and eastern Canada and plans to record and release singles.
“I always like to clarify that I'm not a jazz singer but a singer who sings jazz. The genres cross over so easily unless you're a hardcore jazz singer. I prefer to be a little more broad-based,” Sicoly said.
“For instance, at The Loft, I’ll be performing Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide, which is a great tune. We have a beautiful arrangement of Gord Downie’s Ahead by a Century, we're going to do Overjoyed by Stevie Wonder and Bo Diddley’s Hey! Bo Diddley.”
She’ll be performing cover material with John Ebata and recording artist Patti Jannetta - each of them well-known in the music industry - at The Loft.
There’ll be an extra special feature to Sicoly’s performance in her hometown.
“I'm so thrilled that I'm going to be doing a duet with my niece Jess Amadio,” she said.
Amadio is lead vocalist for Sault band Silent 9.
“Music has underscored my life. I was exposed to it growing up and while not everyone pursues it, music is healing. It is absolutely necessary for someone's soul, even if you just sit and listen to it because you've had a bad day. Being able to include it in my teaching career and now to go back and just focus on my craft is a gift,” Sicoly said.
A Night of Music with Mary Lou Sicoly and Patti Jannetta, with John Ebata at The Loft - sponsored by Pacline Corporation and a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sault Ste. Marie - begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 29.
To purchase tickets, click on the Algoma Conservatory of Music website.
More information on Sicoly can be found on her website.