Mary-Lou Vetere, musicologist, soprano
Mary-Lou is a musicologist, singer, voice/opera coach, and accordionist. She holds a Bachelor of Music (cum Laude) in Voice Performance from the State University of New York at Buffalo, a Masters of Arts in Historical Musicology (SUNY at Buffalo), and a PhD in Historical Musicology (19th Century Italian Opera). Her specialization involves the aesthetic development of opera from Verdi to Verismo with concentrations on specialized performance practice. For her research, she was the recipient of the Mark Diamond Research Fund Research Grant in 2007, and in the Fall of 2008 she received a prestigious Center for Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship Award. A much sought after voice/opera coach, Mary-Lou enjoys merging her love of the Italian and French languages with her keen understanding of operatic aesthetics. She frequently adjudicates voice and piano competitions and has given master-classes in Canada and the United States.
In 2009, Vetere began collaborating with International and Metropolitan Opera Star Soprano, Aprile Millo, who began guiding Vetere in aspects of verismo, Puccinianian cantilena, Bel Canto, and Verdian performance practice and stylization. Vetere is specializing in the Puccini repertoire and was invited by Ms. Millo to make her debut in New York City in December 2012 in a highly publicized recital for Hurricane Sandy victims. A lirico-spinto d’agilita, Vetere follows in the tradition of Mafalda Favero, Renata Tebaldi, and Aprile Millo, and is currently preparing the roles of Mimi in La Boheme, Liu in Turandot, Massenet’s Manon, and Suzel in L’Amico Fritz.
Other than singing, Dr. Vetere contributes to various performance projects. In 2009, she made her debut at Lincoln Center for Aprile Millo’s 25th Anniversary, as her accordionist and has since remained Millo’s official recital pianist and accordionist, The duo is preparing to collaborate on several specialty-recording projects. She is also the music director/conductor for the upcoming New York City musical “Connections,” by Grace Millo to rave reviews by producers and critics alike.
Amidst all of this, the accordion, her first instrument, begun at the age of 4, has remained her most beloved musical companion. An instrument of great difficulty, physicality, and virtuosity, Dr. Vetere is a fervent advocate for the resurgence of the accordion on the classical stage. She is a founding member, arranger, and performer in the critically acclaimed nouveau-cabaret ensemble, L’Accordéoniste alongside mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber and Peter Tiefenbach. Recent critical reviews have deemed Vetere a “virtuosa” (The New York Times) and “the new face of the accordion” (The Toronto Star). Their CD, L’Accordeoniste was released in 2009 and is available on I-Tunes
Alongside her performing and research, Dr. Vetere maintains an international career as a highly sought after voice teacher. She owns and runs The Vetere Studio with locations in Toronto, Niagara, and New York City, and her singers have performed in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In 2012, she initiated an Opera/Bel Canto Intensive Program for amateur and professional opera singers with legendary operatic soprano and Metropolitan Opera Star, Aprile Millo, and this year’s successful Intensive Role Study in Italian Opera (2013). Dr. Vetere has adjudicated voice and piano competitions throughout Ontario and the United States.
Mary-Lou devotes herself to the preservation of the operatic art, unwaveringly,unfettered, and with love…SO STOP @#$%^&* IT UP!!!
The Last Verista 
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