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Maryem Tollar's voice is indescribable. Words cannot do justice. She is one of those rare artists whose work transcends. Her singing is both complex and deeply emotional. It manages to be ground breaking and original while having clear and profound cultural and historical roots. Maryem effortlessly produces a sound that others labor to imitate. I feel extremely fortunate to have found such an intelligent and dedicated musical peer who has also become a close friend. - Jesse Cook, guitarist There are not enough superlatives that I can use to describe Maryem’s artistry. Suffice to say this: I have been blessed by having worked with a number of incredible artists all over the world… but if I had to make the painful decision of associating with only one of them in the future, that person would be Maryem Tollar. Her incredible voice and uncanny ability to be at home in any musical/theatrical situation impressed everyone she came in contact with.- Christos Hatzis, composer, professor of composition, University of Toronto Jesse Cook and Christos Hatzis do not know each other. In fact they live in very different musical worlds. The former is an artist who has built an impressive presence in the world of popular music with his contemporary approach to rumba and flamenco. The latter is one of Canada’s most respected contemporary classical composers. That they are collaborators with, and admirers of, Maryem Tollar comes as no surprise. Over the last decade and more, Maryem has built a reputation as a singer who can live and thrive in a variety of musical milieus. In any given month she might be found performing classical Arabic songs, singing Prince covers at a club, working with Maza Meze, the Greek-Arabic ensemble she co-founded or enthralling a classical music audience. More and more often she is found fronting her own ensemble, composed of some of Toronto’s finest players and singers, offering up a repertoire that combines all of her favourite things- old songs and new; a lament made famous by Oum Kalsoum a century ago or a powerful denunciation of contemporary barbarism written by her uncle, poet Ehab Lotayef; a jazzy tune she has written about her young daughter or something Ethiopian. The term world music is very much in vogue and often overused. In Maryem’s case it accurately describes a musical omnivore who uses her voice, “ a marvelous alto voice” in the words of one reviewer, to address and embrace an enormous and varied collection of songs. Maryem Tollar was born in Egypt and raised in Canada with frequent sojourns in the Middle East. When Maryem was twelve the family left Canada for five years in Egypt and Qatar. Like many teenagers, Maryem rebelled at this uprooting, becoming militantly uninterested in Arabic music, language, and culture. Blessed from the beginning with a special vocal ability, she began to sing professionally, but it was pop and contemporary folk music that caught her ear. It was only in 1994, when she was trying to convince her brother, a talented musician in his own right, to hire her for a project that required Arabic singing, that Maryem embraced her roots. What started as a chore turned to love as Maryem followed the music further and further. Lessons with Toronto based Egyptian musician, George Sawa, led to studies in Syria and Egypt. As Maryem studied, she also sang, and in a group called Ritual Party, Maryem Hassan met Ernie Tollar. Since the mid-nineties they have been collaborators, and for almost as long, life partners. After their meeting in Ritual Party, Ernie and Maryem helped found Maza Meze. Maryem also co-founded Doula (with fellow performer Roula Said)- an Arabic music vocal trio with accompanying musicians. In 2000, Maryem and Ernie felt they needed something that could focus on their original compositions and songs they loved that didn’t fit into their other projects. Mernie! was the first incarnation of that vision, molding together Maryem and Ernie. In 2002 Mernie! toured from Halifax to Vancouver and released a well received CD. Mernie!, however, was a large ensemble, 10 musicians in its full glory. Increasingly Maryem and Ernie found that there were occasions that called for a smaller ensemble and more flexibility. At the same time Maryem’s name has been gaining prominence as a result of her work with Jesse Cook and Christos Hatzis. Now Mernie! will become simply Maryem Tollar, with Ernie Tollar as musical director and a line up that will vary according to the demands of the performance- sometimes a quartet, sometimes a larger band. What’s Next? Maryem is currently mixing her second CD called "Book of Life". Its release will be celebrated with a concert on Saturday, December 18, at Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studio. In the meantime, Maryem continues to perform with Rumba-Flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook. She recorded a live CD with him at the 2004 Montreal Jazz Festival and it will be released in November. Maryem will join Jesse on tour in November for its release. She and Ernie are also completing the music for a play "Le collier d'Helene" (Helen's necklace) about a woman who goes to Beirut, Lebanon, and loses her necklace but finds many more valuable things. It will be performed in Toronto at the end of October 2004. In early November, Maryem Tollar and her group are off to Montreal to perform at Le Festival Arabe de Montreal. Maryem will be performing in the multi-media show "Constantinople" November 10-13 at the Premier Dance Theatre at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, following which she will participate in a recording of the show. The music is by internationally renowned composer, Christos Hatzis. The performers are Maryem Tollar and Patricia O'Callaghan on vocals and 2004 Juno-award winners The Gryphon Trio (piano, cello, and violin). Maryem and Patricia will be in the November Issue of "Elle Magazine" (photos and an interview). Maryem has been touring across Canada, as well as to New York City to perform another of Christos Hatzis' recently commissioned works "Sepulcher of Life", written for soprano and Eastern vocalist, symphony orchestra and choir. She will be performing this piece again in the new year in Ottawa, Montreal, Kitchener, Toronto and New York City. In May, Maryem will give her final performance with Arab-Greek ensemble Maza Meze. This will be the last performance for Maryem with the group. After that she will be putting all of her focus on her own group.
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