Maureen McGovern

Her career spans recordings, concerts, the Broadway stage, films, television and radio, with a voice that defies categorization: from a jazzy, warm pop register she glides easily into a crystalline coloratura. Her appearances with America's most prestigious symphony orchestras are highlighted by duets with orchestra members in which her voice matches the tonal quality and dexterity of various instruments. No wonder she's earned a reputation for being, one of America's most popular artists, and to quote Mel Torme, "Maureen McGovern is, quite simply, the most glorious singer to come down the pike in several months of Sundays. Possessed of one of the finest vocal instruments in the world, a range that hasn't been matched since Yma Sumac stunned us all decades ago, and the ability to softly breathe into a lyric or "read" the words in a clear, strong voice, perfectly in tune, she is positively daunting to the parade of soubrettes who wish they could sing like Maureen McGovern. Add the fact that she is a world class performer.�

A singer with a vocal range of unparalleled purity, McGovern gained rave reviews for her recent recording, �The Music Never Ends: The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman," released on Sterling Records. Produced by Ettore Stratta and featuring musical arrangements by McGovern's longtime accompanist Mike Renzi, the collection showcases the best of the Bergmans and music by contemporary composers, including Marvin Hamlisch, Michel Legrand, John Willaims, Dave Grusin, Johnny Mandel, Dori Caymmi and David Shire.

Ms. McGovern's recording career began with the #1 chart-topping gold record, "The Morning After," the Academy Award-winning song from "The Poseidon Adventure," followed by another Oscar winner, "We May Never Love Like This Again," from "The Towering Inferno," in which she also made a cameo appearance. She also appea#006F8E in the motion picture "Airplane!" as the guitar-strumming nun and most recently in the independent movie, "The Cure For Bo#006F8Eom."

She has received International Gold Records from the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, a Grammy nomination and she also won the Grand Prize award at the Tokyo Musical Festival. Other hit records include: "Can You Read My Mind," John Williams and Leslie Bricusse's love theme from the motion picture "Superman" and "Different Worlds," the theme from the ABC television series "Angie."

Ms. McGovern made her Broadway debut as 'Mabel' in the Joseph Papp production of "The Pirates of Penzance� and was hailed by the New York Times critic Frank Rich as "a vanishing comedian...a real find for musical theatre." She then played the late Raul Julia's wife 'Luisa Contini' in the Tony-Award winning production of "Nine," and star#006F8E opposite Sting in the John Dexter Broadway production of "The 3 Penny Opera" and Off-Broadway, she originated the role of 'Mary' in �Brownstone." She has also star#006F8E in productions of "South Pacific," "The Sound of Music," �Guys & Dolls" (playing both 'Sarah' and 'Adelaide'), and "I Do, I Do".

Ms. McGovern recorded four highly-acclaimed albums for CBS Records: "Another Woman in Love" (classic standards spanning seven decades accompanied solely by New York jazz pianist Mike Renzi), "State of the Heart" (a fully orchestrated collection of contemporary love songs written mainly by composer/arranger Jeff Harris and lyricist Judy Barron), �Naughty Baby� (a live, in-studio concert of Gershwin classics including some newly discove#006F8E gems) and "Christmas with Maureen McGovern" (a treasure of seasonal favorites from the 14th century to the present).

Other recent recordings include, �Baby, I'm Yours" on RCA Victor (a collection of 'baby boomer' favorites from 1955 to 1970), and "Out of This World: McGovern sings Arlen" on Sterling Records, and the Grammy nominated TELARC album "Amen! A Gospel Celebration" with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops.

Maureen has been a guest on other numerous prestigious recordings including a duet with Placido Domingo, "A Love Until the End of Time," and she recorded Bernstein's "G1itter and be Gay" and Faure's �Pavane� with the Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York.

Her Carnegie Hall performances are highlighted by her solo debut in 1989, which launched "Naughty Baby" and by appearances as Mel Torme's special guest for the legendary Kool Jazz Festival and in the Centennial Celebrations of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin. She also appea#006F8E in the �Oscar Hammerstein Centennial Celebration� at Lincoln Center. Ms. McGovern also played an eight-week, 46-city, cross-country tour with the late Mercer Ellington and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Ms. McGovern's love affair with Gershwin's music has received countless accolades. She performed Gershwin on the PBS/BBC Emmy Award-winning special, "Celebrating Gershwin," marking the 50th Anniversary of the composer's death. She also star#006F8E with the late Larry Kert and Jack Gilford in the historic concertized revival of "Of Thee I Sing/Let 'Em Eat Cake" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Kennedy Center. The concert was also a Grammy-nominated recording by CBS Masterworks. In October, she performed in England at the "George Gershwin Centennial Celebration," at the London Palladium to enormous critical acclaim. Regarding her Gershwin interpretations, Clive Barnes of the New York Pops wrote, "the stylish Maureen McGovern can sing Gershwin like Joan Sutherland can sing Donizetti."

Maureen has star#006F8E in her own PBS special, "Maureen McGovern: Live at Wolftrap." and guest star#006F8E with Buddy Rich in his last public performance on "Sentimental Swing - A Tribute to the Music of Tommy Dorsey" hosted by Mel Torme. Her guest appearances include the Boston Pops PBS telecast of John Williams' 10th Anniversary Concert and the National Symphony's "A Capitol 4th" special with the late Henry Mancini, and she guest star#006F8E on the PBS D-Day Commemorative Concert with Erich Kunzel and the National Symphony on the Mall in Washington, D.C. She also star#006F8E in the PBS Special "Happy Birthday George Gershwin" with the Dallas Symphony, conducted by Andrew Litton � now available on video. In addition, Ms. McGovern spent three seasons as a frequent guest on Garrison Keillor's "live" radio show, "The American Radio Company" on American Public Radio. She was a guest host of Lifetime's TV's popular comedy series, "Girl's Night Out", and recently played the role of 'Dr. Berg' in �Pacific Blue� on the USA Network and guest star#006F8E on "Beyond Belief' for the Fox Network.

Ms. McGovern is a much sought after guest for symphony concerts. She has Appea#006F8E with every major symphony including the Boston Pops, New York Pops, the Baltimore Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony and the National Symphony.

Maureen has also displayed her talent for writing music with "I Want to Learn to Fly,� a song that accompanies an illustrated children's book by the same title. The book/cassette, co-written by Judy Barron, is currently in Scholastic Books' catalogue.

Maureen devotes her energies to a number of charitable organizations. She has a special relationship with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and serves as a vice-president and as the national chairperson for polyniyositis/Dermatomyositis of MDA. For the last nineteen years she has performed on the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon," also acting as co-host for the past seven years.