Vicky Mountain is a long time veteran of the Twin Cities Music scene. Her cabaret sets have given us glimpses of her many personalities along the way; from bar-band queen in the 70's to Jazz warbler with a killer whistle. She spends her days teaching voice at MacPhail, but in addition to her cabaret work, she also pens original pieces and always brings her unique stylings to every offering.
Why Cabaret:
We always try to refine what cabaret is by saying it is a collaboration between story and song. But Vicky goes one step further by calling it a "collision of story and song." The semantics of this single phrase means that she brings an unpredictable quality to the stage. From the theater side of the genre she appreciates the "absolute uniqueness of each performer." From her jazz roots she explores "the vast possibility of styles and repertoire" at her disposal. It then becomes her job to forge that intimate connection that holds an audience "attentive" and under her control.
Cabaret Snapshot:
Among her memorable moments in the cabaret world, one that resonates with her goes back to our showcase project 5 years prior. It was a project called Women: A Broad View which gave our members the chance to do material that had anything remotely to do with women. Some chose women composers, others told stories about strong female role models. For Vicky she was really drawn to focus her experience through a lens of her own early roots in the Rock and Soul era of the 70's. In particular numbers like Carole King's It's Too Late and Nina Simone's End of the Line.
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