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ANN MORTIFEE ACCOLADES|
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ANN MORTIFEE ACCOLADES"New York audiences", the veteran Broadway producer was saying, "never but never give standing ovations". But here last weekend, a New York audience gave Vancouver singer ANN MORTIFEE not one, but six standing ovations: one for every song she sang in a new off-Broadway production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well And Living in Paris.
-Vancouver Sun"First of all, there is the marvelous instrument of her voice. Secondly, and most important of all, she has the ability to communicate feelings and emotions that go far beyond anything as mundane as words and a good turn of phrase. ANN MORTI FEE sings with her entire self."
-Vancouver Province"Her most ardent admirers - and she has quite a few - suggest her voice floats somewhere between melody, harmony, and instrumentation. "
-The Music Scene, BMI"She can sing, as her voice can reach almost any note. She can teach her listeners words they won't forget. She can do almost anything on the album, but be bad. "
-Saskatoon Star-Phoenix"There really is no limit to the accolades that can be dealt about her singing. You can sit in awe of her prowess in this area, but just imagine how other performers might feel. If they do not writhe with an inkling of envy, they may feel downright disheartened . MORTI FEE can sing that well."
-Kingston Whig-Standard"During the session, she finished a particularly difficult number and the entire studio orchestra set down instruments and stood up to applaud her. That sort of thing isn't supposed to happen."
-Vancouver Sun"ANN MORTIFEE is back in town...and when she opened her mouth to sing... there it was...that incredible, indelible, crystal clear and deeply expressive voice. . . singing newly penned songs that reflect the maturing from " Peace and Love" to an eyes-wide-open ironic and understanding view of the way things are. . . Intermission found the audience breathless with wonder at the talent they were seeing...Without a doubt these songs are the best she has ever done...The audience was on its feet...with thunderous applause... trying to say thank you as loud as they could...The concepts, the music, the voice, the acting, the writing, were all by ANN MORTI FEE. . . a consummate artist who not only has one of the best voices in the business...but also a rare and beautiful ability to communicate completely with her audience... to make them feel she is entirely with them . . . to let them know she cares . . . I can't recommend strongly enough that you see this show. -CKVU-TV, Vancouver
"At Toronto Workshop Productions...she is leading audiences on a spiritual odyssey, mostly through the medium of her music. . . l felt somehow ennobled. ANN MORTIFEE hasn't sacrificed entertainment to her art, but she has combined both into a totally involving experience. Let someone you love share this experience with you. "
-Toronto Sun'Even without a single love song, MORTIFEE'S soaring voice and lush arrangements were enough to sweep away crowds and critics alike . "
-Toronto Star"NEW MORTIFEE HAS THEM MOVED TO TEARS. When ANN MORTIFEE'S promoters were going about trumpeting her new show as a piece of theatre rather than a concert, I confess to have had doubts over their sincerity. But watching the teary-eyed masses drift distractedly out of the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse after her performance, I realize they were right on the mark. When was the last time you cried at a concert?...MORTlFEE'S show 'Journey to Kairos'...is an intensely dramatic affair. Anyone who is still capable of being moved by music and poetry in this age of discodementia should not miss it. . .They (the musicians) very sensitively accent MORTI FEE'S voice, which, I 'm afraid, eludes all definition. It is a spine-chillingly beautiful voice. Period . "
-E3 . C . Courier"She has the ability to translate experience into poetry, then transform that poetry into song. Now, the experiences and songs have a depth and maturity that wasn't there before. The voice still soars and shines like quicksilver, she is still sweet~ and openly honest and the love still overflows from the stage. But there seems.to be a strength, an affirmation of the self that shows itself in -a willingness to show us the other sides, the ones that aren't pretty or fragile but that come from the inner resources of a strong and powerful woman . . . The new material was for me the most moving, almost devastating in its eloquence...the lady has phenomenal talent and is a joy to- listen to. I can hardly wait to hear those songs again."
-Vancouver Express"Her voice, pure, strong and emotional, shifts from a whisper to a growl to a soaring, operatic cry as the moment demands . . . A performing gift such as this must surely come directly from the heart. "
-Eye Opener, Toronto"The new Arts Club Theatre on Granville Island is soft-pedalling the fact that ANN MORTIFEE'S performance last night was the first in the new building. It's not the grand opening, they say, it's a pre-opening event. Sorry, gang. Your theatre has already had its grand opening. When MORTIFEE'S current engagement ends, fragments of that beautiful voice are still going to linger in every corner of the hall. The theatre is not just grandly opened, it's been brought to life...The new theatre was packed and the audience was ready to eat out of her hand from the first note. MORTI FEE has a charming, easy stage manner that is completely natural, but so assured that she can effortlessly hold her audience through three numbers before letting them applaud. And once they're loose, there's no stopping them. . . But with such a voice, MORTI FEE could sing telephone books and make them music. After three years away from performing, her voice sounds darker, stronger and harder-edged. She now uses it instrumentally, singing long passages without words, simply pouring out the lovely sound. "
-Vancouver Sun"To watch ANN MORTI FEE sing can be a very tender, intimate experience. . . the experience moved beyond mere entertainment into the realms of emotional cleansing. The power and honesty of her outstretched heart, her smiling slightly crazy openness, and the throbbing voice through which it all flowed drew people to her with an attraction as rare as it was strong... At the height of a song, her almost operatic tones induce a depth of intimacy that many people don't reach with their spouses...Some whistled and yelped; others just slumped in their seats and clapped blindly until they recovered.
-Cowichan NewsI am a member of the "Gettin' Higher Choir" in Victoria, and recently had the complete privelege of meeting Ann Mortifee, a woman I have admired for years. Although our meeting was brief, it was intense, and sparked a profound spiritual change within me which will affect me for the rest of my days. I looked for Ann after the concert to thank her personally, but with all of the backstage hubub, I missed telling her. It is said that when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear, and so it was on Saturday. And although the teacher was only in my life for a few brief hours, it was all I needed.
-Heather Cripps, The Gettin' Higher Choir