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Hundreds came together to celebrate the 100th birthday of a beloved music professor at the University of Toronto this week, along with her decades-long career teaching and performing opera.
Colleagues, peers and students put together a week-long celebration of Mary Morrison, adjunct professor of voice at the University of Toronto’s faculty of music, who has been teaching at the school since 1979 and whose opera performances have taken her from the Canadian Opera Company to the San Francisco Symphony and across the globe.
“My first memory of music was going to concerts with my parents,” Morrison said, recounting how she fell in love with music in childhood.
Little did she know at 100 years old, she’d still be passing along that love to students.
Wendy Nielsen, head of voice studies at U of T’s faculty of music and one of the organizers of the celebration, said Morrison has been a role model to her “on all levels.”
“I think her desire to express music beautifully and teach that to us is at the centre of who she is,” said Nielsen.
‘She’s mentored me in all ways’
“It’s very personal for me, I studied with Mary after I first moved to Toronto. I used to bring my newborn son in a little snuggy during lessons, which didn’t faze her — she encouraged it, actually,” said Nielsen. “She’s mentored me in all ways, personally and as a performer.”
The celebration included an array of activities including original debuting compositions, a song composed in 1975 as a tribute to Morrison by old friend and colleague John Greer, a piano duet by Sandra Horst and Steve Philcox, and opera singing by current and former students.
The week-long celebrations came to an end with a performance by Elizabeth Polese while Steve Philcox played piano. (Paul Smith/CBC)
Among the performers Thursday, was soprano singer Elizabeth Polese, a former student who closed out the program with an original piece, Where does the singing start?, composed by Iman Habibi, who was also in attendance. The piece was commissioned by U of T.
“Eighteen years later, I’m very pleased she’s still in my life,” said Polese.
Joined by her three daughters for the finale of festivities, Morrison, reflecting on how it feels to reach the triple digit-feat, had a simple thought.
“I feel great. I think I’m going to have a good time this year,” said Morrison.