Artist Profile
M’Lou (1936 – 2021) spent her life in Musical Theatre. She started performing on stage at the age of 9 and continued performing throughout her life at the Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Long Beach Playhouse and was actively involved with Musical Theatre West. She also wrote and composed musicals. Her musical, Gangway was her first foray into writing music and debuted at the Community Playhouse in Long Beach in 1962. Ruthie and Me was performed in Hollywood and received myriad accolades. It was her favorite project as she said, “the music just flowed into me as I was writing.” A BMI-published songwriter, many of her songs have been performed throughout the world. Her song, “Soaring Together” was one her most popular and is frequently used in wedding ceremonies.
She also spent many years as a high school chorale teacher and left an indelible impression on many of her students over the years. When she retired, during the last performance by her students, she said, “I looked each one in the eye to let them know I ‘saw’ them.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the auditorium. If you saw the movie Mr. Holland’s Opus, it mirrored her life. She loved her students and helping young talent learn about musical theatre. A graduate of Poly High in Long Beach, she was very proud of her degree from Scripps College in Claremont, CA . She later received her Masters Degree from the University of Michigan.
She has been the musical director of dozens of shows, such as Amahl and the Night Visitors, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, HMS Pinafore, The Sound of Music, and Annie Get Your Gun. Writing credits include 6 published choral pieces, 5 completed musicals, and multiple songs. She served on the Board of Directors at Musical Theater West.