Photo Gallery below
Cultural Ambassador Mary Wilson’s
philosophy of life is to “love wherever you are,”
and Ms. Wilson proved that indeed she does during two exciting
performances in Montevideo and Punta del Este.
Ms. Wilson’s tour of South America,
which includes stops in Argentina and Brazil, was arranged
by the U.S. Embassy here in connection with CultureConnect,
an initiative of the U.S. Department of State to promote
cross-cultural understanding.
“You have to love wherever you are in life,”
Mary said, during an interview before her first concert
Saturday night (Oct. 4) in Montevideo. “I love, period.
I wake up loving life. Even before the Supremes, when I
was a back-up singer, I thought I was a star.”
A former member of the hit 60s group, “The
Supremes,” Mary Wilson has continued to perform solo
with a band and back-up singers for more than 30 years.
On Saturday (Oct. 4) she performed at the Cine Teatro Plaza
in Montevideo before a crowd of 1,700 and on Sunday (Oct.
5) about 500 attended the concert at the Conrad Resort &
Casino, Punta del Este.
Glowing in a sparkly green gown, Ms. Wilson
started the concert off with “Coming Out of the Dark,”
by Gloria Estafan, and went on to a medley of Supremes’
hits, including “Love Child,” “My World
is Empty,” “Reflections” and “You
Can’t Hurry Love.” The popular songs had most
of the audience singing and dancing along with Ms. Wilson
and her group.
Ms. Wilson quickly developed a rapport with
the audience, with her apologetic attempt to speak Spanish
and her lively banter, dedicating some of her songs to Embassy
staff, diplomats, all Uruguayans and “some of my favorite
people – men.”
Later, Ms. Wilson invited members of the
audience to join her on stage to sing, “Stop in the
Name of Love,” one of the Supremes’ signature
songs.
“Some of these songs are 35 years old,”
she told the audience. “I get such a kick out of singing
them…They teach a lot about dignity and love and all
the things people are feeling. I feel so blessed to have
a career and job where I can make people smile. Maybe we’ll
create a pattern for future generations to build their dreams
on.”
Both concerts, which were presented free
to the public, drew diverse crowds. In Montevideo, members
of Mundo Africa and a group from the Martin Luther King
School were invited by the Embassy’s Public Affairs
section. There was also a huge diplomatic turnout, including
ambassadors from several foreign embassies and many business
representatives from throughout Montevideo, who congratulated
the Embassy staff after the performance on the success of
the program.
The Conrad concert included many music lovers
from outside the resort city, including some rural areas
of the interior.
Ms. Wilson returned to Montevideo Monday
to meet with members of the media and to give a motivational
speech, “Dare to Dream,” at the Radisson Victoria
Hotel. On Tuesday, she plans to conduct a workshop with
young talent from around Montevideo.
Ms. Wilson was chosen as a Cultural Ambassador
because of her successful career as well as her dedication
to helping young people. She recently flew to Hong Kong,
where she helped raise more than $2 million for an orphanage,
she said. She is also a sponsor of a children’s ice
skating group in Harlem, N.Y., and has supplied the youngsters
with costumes for competitions and performances.
“CultureConnect has offered me the
opportunity to keep the arts alive for the future,”
Ms. Wilson said during an interview. “This opportunity
is a way to help people realize that God has given a gift
to everyone. You have to maintain that gift, embrace it,
and start early with training and work extra hard in building
a career.”
To visit the CultureConnect website:
http://www.cultureconnect.state.gov
More stories on Mary Wilson’s
visit to Uruguay:
-- Press Release
-- Cultural Ambassador
Mary Wilson performs in concert, brings message of encouragement
to young Uruguayans
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| Ambassador Martin J. Silverstein (right)
greets Israeli Ambassador Joel Salpak at the reception
held before the Mary Wilson concert at Cine Teatro Plaza. |
Ambassador Silverstein speaks with Federico
Garcia Vigil, director of the Orquesta Filarmonica de
Montevideo during the reception.. |
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| Mary Wilson opens her concert in Montevideo.
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Ms. Wilson sings favorites from "The
Supremes." |
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| Political/Economic Counselor Oliver
Griffith joins Mary Wilson's band for two concerts in
Uruguay. |
Ms. Wilson with her back-up singers
in Montevideo |
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| Ms. Wilson closes the Montevideo concert
with "Last Dance." |
Public Affairs Officer Brian Penn thanks
Ms. Wilson at the end of the Montevideo concert. |
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| Ambassador Silverstein and his wife,
Audrey, visit Ms. Wilson backstage after the concert.
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Ms. Wilson chats with Ambassador Silverstein
backstage. |
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| Ms. Wilson performs at the Conrad Resort
and Casino in Punta del Este. |
Members of the audience at the Conrad
join Ms. Wilson on stage. |
