Connie Fisher

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Connie Fisher
Connie Fisher on the cover of her album 'Favourite Things'
Background information
Birth name	Connie Fisher
Born	June 17, 1983 (1983-06-17) (age 24) Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Genre(s)	Pop, musicals
Instrument(s)	Singing
Years active	2006 – present
Website	Connie Fisher's Official Website

Connie Fisher (born June 17, 1983) is a British [1] actress and singer, who won the BBC One talent contest, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

Fisher was delighted to be named Maria: "I feel on top of the world, thanks very much. I won't let you down. Every night will be an opening night. Thanks for making my dreams come true."^[1] On 15 November 2006, she opened to excellent reviews in the part of Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music in the West End, London on a six-month contract, which was extended until February 23 2008.^[2]

[edit] Biography

Fisher was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, and is daughter of a British Army Royal Corps of Signals Major. Fisher lived in Dorset, England until the age of six, when she moved to a village near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. She attended Hayscastle Junior School, and then went on to Sir Thomas Picton School where she received the nickname 'paperboy'. She is a fluent Welsh speaker and during the final weeks of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? she recorded several interview pieces for Radio Cymru.^[3]

During her teenage years she was a member of Haverfordwest Operatic Society where she performed in The Pirates of Penzance and played Nellie Forbush in South Pacific. She was also a member of The Torch Youth Theatre where she performed in George Buchner's play Woyzek. She successfully became a member of National Youth Music Theatre (1999-2002), where she played Lady of the Lake in the UK Tour of Pendragon, and played the lead role, Morgan Le Fay, when the production toured Japan in 2001. From an early age Fisher was a member of Côr Newyddion Da (English translation - "Good News Choir"), which introduced her to the Eisteddfodic field and encouraged her to perform as a soloist. She competed annually in the Urdd Gobaith Cymru, National and International Eisteddfods.^[4] In 2002 Fisher won the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts Scholarship in the National Eisteddfod "Songs from the Shows" competition^[5] and the Milford and West Wales Mercury talent competition.^[6]

Fisher won a full scholarship to the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, graduating in 2005 with a First Class BA Hons degree in Musical Theatre, as well as the Gyearbuor Asante prize for the highest score. At Mountview she performed in Annie Get Your Gun, A…my name is Alice, Jerry’s Girls and played Julie Jordan in Carousel. Fisher has made television appearances on Jane McDonald's Star for a Night when she was sixteen; Owen Money’s Just Up Your Street, and BBC Children in Need.^[7] She has also recorded a Welsh song called Curiad Calon (Heartbeat) which was released on the compilation album Cân i Gymru (A Song for Wales). She also released a charity single for the Noah's Ark Appeal entitled 'Eyes of a Child'.

Fisher's first professional theatre appearance was at Milford Haven Torch Theatre, Christmas 2005, where she played Princess Samina in Aladdin. She then took the £1,000 cash prize and the Gower Trophy in the final of the 2006 Welsh Musical Theatre Young Singer of the Year Competition, held at Swansea Grand Theatre.

Before being cast as Maria, she worked in media telesales, whilst auditioning for several West End parts – often getting down to the final two but never getting the part. Fisher cites Julie Andrews and Ruthie Henshall as her musical theatre role models. She claims to be a bit of a tomboy, and says that as an only child, she is very independent.^[8]

Fisher has been with British Army soldier boyfriend Neal Williams (born 1979), who served in Iraq in the 31st signal regiment, for several years. On the weekend of the 19 November 2006 the News of the World alleged that Fisher and sound number 2 Leigh Davies from the Sound of Music had been having a relationship. Fisher has repeatedly denied these allegations. ^{[9] [10]}

In early March 2007, she was ordered by her doctor to take two weeks' rest from The Sound of Music, after straining her vocal cords singing through a cold.^[11] On her return to the show, it was announced that Fisher would be reducing her workload to six shows a week,^[12] with Maria being played in the Monday evening and Wednesday matinee shows by Aoife Mulholland, one of the runners-up in How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?.

On July 1, 2007, Fisher performed alongside artists including Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, Donny Osmond and Andrea Bocelli in Lloyd Webber's segment of the Concert for Diana at London's Wembley Stadium in front of 63,000 people.

She appeared at Bryn Terfel’s Faenol Festival during the August Bank Holiday weekend, 2007.[2]

In October of 2007, she won the 2007 lastminute.com People's Choice Theatre Award for Favourite Theatre Actress.^[13]

On Christmas Eve 2007 Fisher performed with Lee Mead and some of the other Maria' and Any Dream finalists in a BBC special 'festive' reunion show called When Joseph met Maria! - celebrating both the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber BBC shows - it was recorded earlier on Dec 2nd 2007. The BBC show, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, featuring Fisher, recently won a prestigious international Emmy Award in New York (2007) for best non-scripted entertainment. ^[14]

Fisher ended her run as Maria on February 23, 2008 and was replaced by Summer Strallen.^[15]

In 2008 Fisher will star in her first TV drama. Caught In A Trap will air on ITV1 in 2008 - in it she plays a young woman with an Elvis Presley obsession.

Her second solo album, From Connie With Love, is due to be released in the Autumn of 2008.

It was rumoured that after her contract as Maria came to an end that she would play the lead in a Lloyd-Webber revival of Funny Girl.^[16] Fisher had been was due to embark on an Andrew Lloyd Webber-sponsored solo concert tour of several cities in the UK, however the tour was cancelled on 13 February 2008 due to poor ticket sales. ^[17] Also on February 13, 2008, it was announced that the planned Simply Bernstein concert celebrating the work of composer Leonard Bernstein, which Fisher was part of, had been cancelled. The event was due to run for five performances from 4 to 6 April 2008 at Cadogan Hall.^[18]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Favourite Things

On 9 October 2006, Fisher released her debut album, Favourite Things which featured the following tracklisting:

1. 'Maybe This Time'
2. 'Natural Woman'
3. 'Dance The Dance'
4. 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend'
5. 'No Matter What'
6. 'Shout'
7. 'All The Love I Have'
8. 'All That Jazz (With Helena Blackman and Siobhan Dillon)
9. 'Another Suitcase In Another Hall'
10. 'As Long As He Needs Me'
11. 'The Sound Of Music Suite - Entr'Acte'
12. 'The Sound Of Music Suite - My Favourite Things'
13. 'The Sound Of Music Suite - Something Good'

[It reached #14 on the UK Album chart]

[edit] The Sound Of Music - London Palladium Cast Album

On 11 December 2006, the soundtrack to the new production of The Sound of Music, featuring Connie Fisher, Lesley Garrett and the cast of the production, was released with the following tracklisting:

1. Preludium
2. The Sound Of Music
3. Maria
4. My Favourite Things
5. I Have Confidence
6. Do-Re-Mi
7. Sixteen Going On Seventeen
8. My favourite things (Reprise)
9. How Can Love Survive?
10. The Sound Of Music (Reprise)
11. The Lonely Goatherd
12. The Grand Waltz
13. Ländler
14. So Long, Farewell
15. Climb Ev'ry Mountain
16. Entr'acte
17. No Way To Stop It
18. Something Good
19. The Wedding Processional
20. Sixteen Going On Seventeen (Reprise)
21. Edelweiss
22. Climb Ev'ry Mountain (Reprise)

The album was produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Nigel Wright for Really Useful Records.

[edit] From Connie With Love

In the Autumn of 2008, Fisher will release her second solo album, From Connie With Love, which features the following tracklisting:

1. 'I Could Have Danced All Night'
2. 'Secret Love'
3. 'Next Time You Fall In Love' (featuring Lee Mead)
4. 'True Love Ways'
5. 'When She Loved Me'
6. 'I Guess I'll Miss The Man'
7. 'You Must Love Me'
8. 'Someone To Watch Over Me'
9. 'Make Up My Heart'
10. 'If I Ever Fall In Love Again'
11. 'Memory'
12. 'If Love Were All'
13. 'First Impression Counts'

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Fisher's page at BBC "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" website
• Interview with Connie Fisher on Theatre.com
• Connie Fisher's Official Site