Mariah Picot has spent her life in the arts. “Growing up in a musical family certainly helped”, she says. “We always had family jam sessions and my first public performance was at the age of 5.” She completed her Bachelor of Music, in voice at Queens University, Kingston, Ontario.  She then started a professional career in musical theatre, with lead roles in many musicals and cabarets in Toronto and across Western Canada.

 

During this time, she was also doing extensive theater training with teachers from CAST [Centre for Actors Study in Toronto], where she was the assistant administrator for a year,  and Herbert Bergoff Studio in NYC. Because of this affiliation, the teachers that were brought in had a wealth of experience and skill to share with them. 

 

Mariah was a guest soloist with the London [ON] Symphony, and was commisioned to sing for the Canadian Command Performance at Massey Hall, along with other guests including Jim Carey, Rich Little & Buffy St. Marie. She was the only performer that evening to have 2 paragraphs written about her by the reviewer in the Toronto Star: “A dynamic singer” - Ray Conalogue.

 

During the mid Eighties, she changed her focus to performing in piano bars, which includes Tom Jones Steak House, right in the middle of the theater district, for approximately 3 years.  She has also performed  music for numerous private and corporate events in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, and Los Angeles.

 

In 1998 Mariah moved to Florida, where she became very  busy working in clubs and hotels as a solo artist. She was a member of “Steeplechase”, a jazz quartet with an emphasis on vocal harmony. She also headed her own group, “The Mariah Picot Trio” and Quartet, on piano/vocals where she sings in 5 languages: English, French, Portugese, Spanish and Italian.  They were featured at many corporate and private functions from Destin to Lake City, FL.

 

She was the Musical Director at the Unity Church for 7 years for whom she wrote, directed and co-produced two multimedia musical events: “Mystical Awakening” in 2001 and “Lighting the Temple Fires” in 2002, as well as various skits and several songs.  She is an accomplished theater coach and assisted the actors in other productions.

 

She is a 2002 recipient of the Tom Hipps Scholarship Award [Gulf Jazz Society].  She also teaches the Cornelius Reid Vocal Method which she studied under Master Teacher, Carol Forte. 

 

In the Spring of 2004, Mariah released her first CD of original songs “Notes on the Bridge” with the Bill Peterson Trio. This was a dream many years in the making.  All the elements were finally in place and Bill Peterson’s contributions was paramount to its success.

 

When Mariah appears with the Bill Peterson Trio,  they perform vocal selections from this new CD “Notes on the Bridge…”, instrumental pieces from Bill Peterson’s self-titled piano trio CD, plus any jazz standards that might fit the occasion. Her stunning, rich, lush voice is comfortable in the realms of jazz, blues, and pop. This is an artist who has worked in theaters, concert halls, churches and piano bars. All these diverse influences have culminated in her songwriting skills, which she has come to refer to as "jazz influenced art songs with a spiritual perspective". She is in the process of planning the next project.