Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 Good morning, Fort McMurry, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. You've tuned into the Mac city morning show. I am your host Elliot Pierre. This shows a little laid back today because our guests, uh, as a brace on her leg, so we're kicking up our feet. We're going to start our show off the same way we start every show though, with gratitude. I know you could be doing a million other things with your time and the fact that you're here spending with us, it means the world to me on that note, Tana.
Speaker 1 00:00:29 Oh, she caught me, loves near listened to the next anymore.
Speaker 0 00:00:38 All right, we're going to get started. It's going to be a good one. I'm even more. I like this new setup of me sitting with my feet on the table. I don't introduce our guests as you already know. So we're gonna swing the camera over there. And can you please introduce yourself and tell the world who you are?
Speaker 2 00:00:53 Thank you so much. My name is Comerica Parr. I'm a teacher here in Fort McMurray. I've been here for a decade now and I absolutely love it. I call Fort McMurray home and I'm a proud to be here today and excited.
Speaker 0 00:01:07 That's awesome. Thank you so much. So you've been here for 10 years now. Uh, what school did you go to university prior to getting here?
Speaker 2 00:01:16 Getting here? I was at the university of Windsor. So I'm from Windsor, Ontario, but I spent much of my youth in Detroit and I drove eight mile every day to work for several years. Absolutely loved it to try to great town, big part of my heart. And, uh, but there was a job opportunity here in Fort McMurray. So like the rest of the world moved up here and thought I was going to stay for one or two years. But of course you fall in love and stay.
Speaker 0 00:01:41 So this is where you met your husband. Is it?
Speaker 2 00:01:43 No, my husband came with me and we just fell in love with the city.
Speaker 0 00:01:46 Yeah, I was just going to be, I can't wait to hear this love story of Fort McMurray. So I I've had the pleasure of actually going to Detroit myself. I got flown out there for business. One time spent a week. It was Epic. Yes. It's an amazing place. Amazing. And this was, I was there maybe three years ago. So relatively recently. So there was a lot of stigma in my head anyways, what Detroit was and I was pleasantly surprised that it was nothing. Like I thought it was going to be
Speaker 2 00:02:17 Of Fort McMurray. If you look at the way it's portrayed on the world stage, it is a wasteland. It looks like it's a, we've torn the world apart and we're killing it. And of course it's not the case here. It's beautiful. We have trails and the police were three rivers meet and the wildlife, it's nothing like it's portrayed in the world. Media and Detroit is exactly the same. It's always about the crime and it's not that those things don't exist. It's just, that's not the entire picture. There's so much more. And it's very beautiful and artistic. I spent a decade working at the Detroit opera house and it's one of the most beautiful opera houses I think in the whole world and a great place to be. So what did you do at the opera house? I sang, I was a performer. I had a career as an opera singer for 10 years before I became a teacher. So,
Speaker 0 00:03:03 Okay, well, listen, this is my favorite part about this show. I don't know so many of, so many things about the guests that show up. So let's hear about this. You're an opera singer genre of music that most people get into. So let's just, you can start from the get-go. Let's talk about your, how you got interested in opera and just let's keep started.
Speaker 2 00:03:25 It really started when I was in preschool, I was very shy and I didn't have any friends. My mom wanted to find a way to help me get out there, get on the stage, uh, the world stage and be able to speak with people. So she put me into acting classes and modeling, which then of course led to taking music, lessons, singing, and piano. And I absolutely fell in love with the art form. And I just spent my youth taking lessons much the way your former, uh, guest, uh, talked about her lessons with piano and singing a reishi vessel. And so I did that as a youth and I did decide at 18 to pursue music studies at university, which then led me into learning about the art form of opera. And my teacher was in fact in the Phantom of the opera, which is a musical, but he was one of the lead performers in, not in Toronto and came to Windsor each week to teach the lessons and went back. So through him, I learned a lot about the business and went on from there.
Speaker 0 00:04:24 Wow. And so when you're a professional opera singer, you you're getting paid for this. Yes. Um, how do you even apply for that? Like I know nothing about the arts. Um, I people think I do because I make videos and stuff. Listen, I'm a businessman. I like, I just happen to be able to talk in front of a camera. So what is the process to becoming a professional?
Speaker 2 00:04:46 It's not that different than what you see on TV and things like American idol and those types of programs you have to show up and audition. There's oftentimes thousands of people auditioning it's you sometimes wait in line. Sometimes you have a set time to arrive. You show up, you give them your heart and soul, and then you wait for them to select you. And it can be very trying. It's very difficult career choice. You have to be able to handle taking rejection quite often. Uh, you maybe get 10% of the jobs you apply for, and that's a good career. So you're putting yourself out there and putting yourself out there. And you're thrilled when you do get the work and you show up and do the best that you can and entertain. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:05:26 Can you go very cool. So now when you got a gig like yourself, is this like a full-time thing that you're going in regularly? Or how does that work when you're like at an opera house?
Speaker 2 00:05:36 Yes, I was very lucky to work. Um, the first year I was there, I was an apprentice. So as an apprentice, urea in every show, either in the chorus or in a small role, um, I was dancing as well. Back then I was a lot younger. And so the first year as an apprentice was amazing, you're paid almost nothing, but you're there from 10 in the morning until 10 at night. And I remember I would sit under the director's table and sit at his feet and I would watch everything that was happening. And it was just so exciting to be part of this huge art form and one that most people really don't ever get to experience. I often hear people say, I hate opera. I said, well, which ones have you been to? And the answer is not well then how can you hate it?
Speaker 2 00:06:16 If you haven't actually tried it it's, you don't know what it is until you experience it. So that experience of sitting under the table at the director's feed and watching everything that was happening, really, I fell in love with it. And so I stayed with the opera company for 10 more years in the chorus, um, and doing small roles as appropriate. And then I was also working in their outreach programs, which meant we got to travel. So I traveled Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas. And we did shows at various locations. So to bring opera to the people that is so cool, it really was amazing experience.
Speaker 0 00:06:51 So Detroit opera you're there it's 10 years. How did you hear about Fort McMurray? How did you make your way here?
Speaker 2 00:06:59 Well, to be honest, my husband is also a singer. So we met at the opera house. We were in a show together. And so we were both looking for work. And when you are both performers, you're often traveling in different directions. You're in different shows, you're apart. And so we had this opportunity to work for the Las Vegas sands corporation, singing in a show at their casino together. So we thought this would be great. We could work together, sing together every day. It was a steady gig and it was for six full months. Let's do this together. So we went to Las Vegas and there we rehearsed the show. And then we went over to Macau China, where they were opening up their brand new hotel. And the new Venetian hotel in the process was over 12 years ago that it was just brand new hotel and casino.
Speaker 2 00:07:45 And we got to do a show there every day and we were so excited and we loved it. We had such a great time that after six months we renewed the contract for another six months and then another, and then another. So for after two years, we finally decided that it was time to come back to North America. But what did we want to do next? We loved the opportunity to work together and not be traveling in different directions. So we decided to both become teachers. And so we both went back to school. We had our degrees previously, but we went back and did a second bachelor degree in education so that we could become music, teachers sharing our love and passion of singing and acting, but then work together somewhere. And the first place to offer us a job was Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Speaker 0 00:08:27 Awesome. I love this story. This is, I love this. I love doing this show for stories like that. The reason this inspires me and hopefully people at home is when you're a child more often than not, your parents tell you there's no money in the arts, you can't do it. It's not going to be feasible for you. And I talked to kids at high schools and colleges about like, Hey, I do something very untraditional, obviously. Um, and my marketing companies, it's different. And I tell kids like, listen, you can do other things and you are a Testament to listen. You can do other things.
Speaker 2 00:09:05 Absolutely. And in fact, my husband, even more so when he went to university, he was given a scholarship, a music scholarship. So we had to sing in the choir and take some music classes and they wanted him to be a music major. But his thought was, ah, the arts, I can't take that degree. It'll get me nowhere. So I'll do a math degree. So he has a degree in mathematics after he finished. The next thing, you know, he did work an office job for awhile. Didn't love it. His heart was in the arts. So he came to the opera house and ended up working for them. And the rest of the story, when we went to do our degrees in education, they accepted me immediately because they don't have enough music, applicants. There's not enough people who are available to teach music. So I was in instantly with his math degree, they didn't take him right away. He said, we have so many people with math degrees. We don't need another math teacher. There we go. It was very difficult for him to get it. Now he did. And we ended up being in the same cohort. We had every class together, did all our assignments together and had a wonderful time at teacher's college. And, uh, and then of course came here and taught together at Merck.
Speaker 0 00:10:09 There we go. And now you're at Westwood. I
Speaker 2 00:10:11 Actually don't teach at Westwood. No. Um, I left the teaching profession a few years ago in order to pursue a master of music. And my husband did as well. We left Fort McMurray. It's actually right at the evacuation time. And we thought, well, it's a good clean break. We'll both just leave. We got into U of a, and we would do our masters together. And we were going to leave Fort McMurray for good. But we had a students like Arushi, LaSalle, and a number of other students that we just adored. And at that time we were going to pass them on to the other music teachers in town. Right. But at the time of the evacuation, many of them did not come back. And there were no teachers for our students to go to. And there were students who needed a teacher. So with that need in Fort McMurray, what we did was we went to school in Edmonton, Tuesday to Friday, we came back Friday night to teach your Saturday, Sunday, went back to Edmonton for the week. So we lived in both locations for about two and a half years to complete our music master of music degrees. We both have master's degrees. Now we're excited about that. And my husband is now teaching at Frank spragens and, uh, coming back, the open position for me was grade one. It L annex. So I'm now for the first time teaching the Little's very difficult. Actually. I'm used to having conversations like this with teenagers, with little ones, I have to change my vocabulary and, uh, you know, put band-aids on a lot more,
Speaker 0 00:11:37 Man. You and your husband are a venturous. Okay, I'm going to get lost and ask you tons of questions. This show is timed. So we got to move on Tanner. We have a segment called the Mac CD minute. Tanner is going to ask you some questions. Best of luck to you. Tana hit her with the max 80 minute question one. What
Speaker 3 00:11:54 Was your first acting job?
Speaker 2 00:11:56 My very first acting job would be with the Michigan opera. I have my as my apprentice role, so, and I actually played the role of a prostitute. So at 17, that was a bit risque
Speaker 3 00:12:11 Question. Number two. What is your favorite moment from being a teacher in Fort McMurray?
Speaker 2 00:12:18 Well, um, last year I was subbing. So it was actually as a substitute teacher. I finished my degree in November and subs through June and I had a position in early learning. So I had a three and a half year old when we went to the gym, said, Ms. Parr, I can't participate in gym today. I got a bum knee at three and a half.
Speaker 3 00:12:42 Question number three. How is Detroit similar to forming Marie
Speaker 2 00:12:47 Detroit? A lot of rock music. I mean, the rock music in this town is fantastic. You go to any of the clubs and bars. There's just great live music. And Detroit is known for its great live Detroit rock city. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. It's a great place. So definitely the nightlife I would actually say is amazing here in Fort McMurray. You wouldn't expect it the end of the road as we are. Absolutely. Uh, I love that and uh, and good food. I great, great
Speaker 0 00:13:14 Drinks. There you go. You can drink
Speaker 3 00:13:18 Question number four. What is your favorite opera you've been in?
Speaker 2 00:13:23 Well that I've been in that's harder than just ones I've seen favorite after that I've been in probably be post. The story of Faust is always compelling. I often wonder if the devil came to me, would I sign the contract? And that was a fun one to be in. I played a Mephistopheles, the devil, I played one of his little adventurous devils. So I actually had a skin color unit, hard with, uh, parts painted onto, I looked naked on stage.
Speaker 3 00:13:56 And your final question, who has the better Coney dog, Lafayette or American Lafayette. There you go. Those have been your five questions.
Speaker 0 00:14:06 That's detroit.com.
Speaker 3 00:14:09 I know people in certain places and I said, what's the most Detroit question I can ask.
Speaker 0 00:14:15 That's F look at you, this guy with his questions,
Speaker 2 00:14:19 Any islands in Detroit bar, none of the best in the world. Like there, any of them you go to, but Lafayette, that that's right.
Speaker 0 00:14:25 Okay, there we go. Listen, I'm just blown away with this episode. You are great to chat with and Tanner's hidden up with some like gems of questions. Good job canner. So I have no idea what opera you're talking. I've never honestly been to an opera in my life. So tell me a little bit about the story of this. When we signed the contract with the devil. Oh, so fast is a famous novel. Okay. So might want to get that on an audio
Speaker 2 00:14:52 Book and listen to it. I'm sure it'll be amazing. Absolutely. So it's a, it's a classic story. Uh, the story of Faust, he wants the girl, he wants the riches. He wants everything. So he signed the devil, comes to him and he signs a contract to give up his soul to obtain the things that he wants. But when he gets the girl, for example, he has her, but he hasn't really won her love it's artificial. And so he never ends up getting what he wants and the devil does take his soul.
Speaker 0 00:15:21 Listen, I'm going to be driving to the mountains tomorrow. I'm going to download this book and listen to it sounds very interesting. Well, this has just been lovely. I have to say thank you so much for coming on the show. I know it's imprompt um, as you're killing it, you did a great job. Thanks for having me. Yeah, please come back again and again, I know there's so many other topics and questions that I want to ask about, but the show is 20 minutes for a reason. It's so people can come back again and again and again, and I've met your husband as well. Cool. All right. On that note, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world, we are done. This has been a banger of an episode. I know I say that a lot, but this one was really, really good. So, uh, thank you very much for tuning in. Do appreciate it. Hopefully you're having a great day and we'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 4 00:16:14 <inaudible> talk about quenching your ugly thirst.
