By Gillian Brunette
Amy and Chris Wallace of Utterson share a lot more than the blood in their veins. The siblings are blessed with amazing sets of vocal pipes.
Chris has been heard in several local theatrical performances, including Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida and Annie, and is playing the part of the gatekeeper in the upcoming musical Wizard of Oz.
Amy’s assured operatic tones belie her youth (22) and lack of professional training. She too has received kudos for her performances in local concerts and theatre productions.
KINDRED SPIRITS: Chris and Amy Wallace, two extremely talented singers, are hoping to present a tribute to Broadway at the Algonquin Theatre in the not-too-distant future.
The Wallaces’ first love, however, is the music of Broadway, especially Phantom of the Opera. Chris, with some health challenges of his own, can relate to the Phantom, while Amy identifies with Christine.
“We’ve been interested in theatre since we were very small. We used to hang up a sheet at home for a curtain and then we would perform Phantom,” recalled Amy.
Chris has donned the Phantom mask and cape on more recent occasions. “Once at the Algonquin Theatre for a Broadway show, and twice in shows at Trinity United Church,” he said.
To date, the Wallaces have pursued their own creative paths, but would like to perform together in public. “That is our goal. We’ve done so much (singing) together behind closed doors, we now want to showcase to the public,” said 25-year-old Chris.
Recently, the siblings recorded a Phantom tribute CD. “We did it at home to give to our family and friends and to help get our voices out there,” said Chris.
Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HFA) director and assistant artistic director for Oz, Suzanne Riverin received a copy of the CD. “Chris said he wanted me to hear it and I thought it would be cute, but I was blown away by the quality of their singing,” Riverin said.
Music is in the Wallace genes. “We were brought up with music. Our grandfather was a choirboy in England, then performed in shows such as Oklahoma and others in Bolton (Ont.), where we were born,” said Chris.
He continued: “Dad was in the school choir in Bolton, and our mother (Julie) has been in several of the shows here and in the community choir.” Julie Wallace is also in Oz, playing the part of Aunt Em.
Chris and Amy went to V.K. Greer Public School (Amy transferred to Huntsville Public with the boundary change) and then to St. Dominic Catholic Secondary School in Bracebridge. After graduating, Chris studied sociology for one year at the Nipissing University campus in Bracebridge, but his long-term goal is to be an airline pilot.
Meanwhile Amy, who has won several gold awards at singing festivals in Barrie and Orillia, plans to attend Canadore College in North Bay in the fall, where she will study office administration. With a voice that has been likened to that of Sarah Brightman, she spends much of her spare time practising alongside a karaoke machine, and in duets with her brother.
For now, Amy and Chris may be virtual unknowns in the arts world, but with the help of the HFA, they are hoping their fortunes will change. Their first opportunity to perform together will be this summer when they sing at Trinity United Church for one of the HFA’s Music at Noon concerts.
And, they will continue to pursue their shared dream of bringing the songs from some of Broadway’s hit shows, such as Evita, Cats and, of course, Phantom of the Opera, to the Algonquin Theatre in the not-too-distant future.
