Evalyn Parry
Encyclopedia
Evalyn Parry is a Canadian Quaker singer/songwriter and actress/playwright who grew up in Toronto, Ontario in the Kensington Market
Neighborhood. Her music is, for the most part, spoken word and folk, performed with a gay twist; Parry has performed at Toronto Pride Week
in 2004, as well as performances at The Ontario Council of Folk Festivals annual conference, North by Northeast
Music and Film Conference and Festival (Toronto), The Vancouver Storytelling Festival, Hillside Community Festival (Ontario), Women's Voices Festival (Ontario), the CKCU Ottawa Folk Festival
, the National Arts Centre
(Ottawa), and the Michigan Women's Fall Festival. Parry sometimes performs with the group Girls with Glasses, a quartet of female songwriters including Parry, Eve Goldberg
, Allison Brown, and Karyn Ellis.
Parry is also extensively involved in the Canadian theatre scene, having staged runs of her plays at Buddies in Bad Times
, Theatre Passe Muraille
and others.
She is the recipient of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award
(2003) and the Beth Ferguson Award for Upcoming Songwriter (Ottawa, 2001).
Evalyn Parry is the daughter of David Parry
, an English-born Canadian singer and theatrical director who died in 1995, and performer and author Caroline Balderston Parry
. Her brother Richard Parry
performs with the bands Bell Orchestre
and Arcade Fire.
Kensington Market
Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
Neighborhood. Her music is, for the most part, spoken word and folk, performed with a gay twist; Parry has performed at Toronto Pride Week
Pride Week (Toronto)
Pride Week is a ten-day event held in Toronto, Canada, during the end of June each year. It is a celebration of the diversity of the LGBT community in the Greater Toronto Area. It is one of the largest organized gay pride festivals in the world, featuring several stages with live performers and...
in 2004, as well as performances at The Ontario Council of Folk Festivals annual conference, North by Northeast
North by Northeast
North by Northeast is an annual five-day live music and film festival and music conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, held each June....
Music and Film Conference and Festival (Toronto), The Vancouver Storytelling Festival, Hillside Community Festival (Ontario), Women's Voices Festival (Ontario), the CKCU Ottawa Folk Festival
CKCU Ottawa Folk Festival
The Ottawa Folk Festival is a major Canadian folk music festival. The organization presents a four-day weekend festival in September, as well as an evening benefit concert series throughout the year....
, the National Arts Centre
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre is a centre for the performing arts located in Ottawa, Ontario, between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal...
(Ottawa), and the Michigan Women's Fall Festival. Parry sometimes performs with the group Girls with Glasses, a quartet of female songwriters including Parry, Eve Goldberg
Eve Goldberg
Eve Goldberg is a Canadian Jewish folk musician, singer and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Musically, she draws from a number of different traditions and influences such as blues, country, bluegrass, jazz, swing, and contemporary and traditional folk music.-Life and career:Born in the Boston...
, Allison Brown, and Karyn Ellis.
Parry is also extensively involved in the Canadian theatre scene, having staged runs of her plays at Buddies in Bad Times
Buddies in Bad Times
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is a Canadian professional theatre company.Based in Toronto, Ontario and founded in 1978 by Matt Walsh, Jerry Ciccoritti, and Sky Gilbert, Buddies in Bad Times is dedicated to "the promotion of queer theatrical expression"....
, Theatre Passe Muraille
Theatre Passe Muraille
Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Canada.-Brief history:One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille was founded in 1968 by director and playwright Jim Garrard, who started the company out of Rochdale College.Its radical intention was create a...
and others.
She is the recipient of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award
Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award
The Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award is an annual Canadian award, presented to the year's best song by an emerging singer/songwriter from Ontario in the genres of roots, traditional, folk and country music...
(2003) and the Beth Ferguson Award for Upcoming Songwriter (Ottawa, 2001).
Evalyn Parry is the daughter of David Parry
David Parry (folk musician)
David Parry was a Canadian folk musician, storyteller, actor, stage director, and teacher. He was an important presence in the Canadian folk music scene from the mid 1970s up until his death in 1995. He worked both as a solo artist and as a member of the Friends of Fiddler's Green, a Toronto-based...
, an English-born Canadian singer and theatrical director who died in 1995, and performer and author Caroline Balderston Parry
Caroline Balderston Parry
Caroline Balderston Parry is a Canadian writer, musician, celebrator, and consultant. She is the author of Let's Celebrate Canada's Special Days, an important reference work since 1987, and Eleanora's Diary, based on the 1830s diary of a Canadian immigrant girl, Eleanora Hallen...
. Her brother Richard Parry
Richard Parry (musician)
Richard Reed Parry is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer and member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire, where he plays double bass, celesta, keyboards, drums, guitar, and accordion. He is also a member of the Bell Orchestre, in which he primarily plays double bass and is the de facto...
performs with the bands Bell Orchestre
Bell Orchestre
Bell Orchestre is a six-piece instrumental band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.In late 2003, they recorded their first album, at the same time and in the same studio that Arcade Fire recorded Funeral. However, Arcade Fire's popularity was just beginning to break when they asked Bell Orchestre to...
and Arcade Fire.
Plays
- Breakfast
- Clean Irene and Dirty Maxine
- Nancy Drew Without a Clue
- Francis Mathilda & Tea
- The Mysterious Shorts
- SPIN
Discography
- Things that should be warnings (2001, LP)
- Unreasonable (2003, LP)
- Live at Lula (2007, concert DVD)
- Small Theatres (2007, double LP)
Awards
- Beth Ferguson Award for Upcoming Songwriter (Ottawa, 2001)
- Colleen Peterson Songwriting AwardColleen Peterson Songwriting AwardThe Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award is an annual Canadian award, presented to the year's best song by an emerging singer/songwriter from Ontario in the genres of roots, traditional, folk and country music...
(2003)