Mary Beth Maziarz
AN INSIDER’S INSIGHTS
Mary Beth Maziarz’s childhood was the springboard for her artistic growth. She began writing songs and playing the piano as a kid, and by seventh grade, she was playing piano gigs. While attending college in Evanston, IL and Oxford, England, Mary Beth sang and played the piano in local cafes and pubs. She has now become an ASCAP award-winning singer/songwriter who has performed on mainstages worldwide. She has released seven albums, and her songs have appeared in over 60 TV shows and films. One of the most significant milestones in her career is having her song “Hold On” featured in the final scene of the third Season Premiere of Dawson’s Creek. After its debut, show producers contacted Mary Beth to request more songs to feature on the show. Then numerous fans urged her to produce a CD compilation of her songs from the show, and to this day “A More Perfect World” album is still a steady seller.
An Illinois native, Mary Beth grew up as the eldest child in a family of six kids. She read Nancy Drew novels, played tennis, explored the nearby country roads, and played the upright piano in the basement. After college, Mary Beth went looking for a town that was “a beautiful, sleepy mountain town in the summer, but lively and rockin’ all winter,” she found Park City, where she lives with her photographer husband, Mark, and two children.
Favorite Performance Adventures From the Famed Musician:
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The Riverhorse on Main was my first musical home here. I’m still grateful for all the great people I met and the professional experience I gained in the several years when I played regularly there. I was so excited when I finally got to play some Wednesday Night Concerts, back when they were tiny at City Park and then later when they’d grown packed and professional at Deer Valley Resort. Opening for the late, legendary Etta James in front of a Deer Valley crowd of thousands completely blew my mind and getting to open for other amazing headliners – like The Wallflowers, 10,000 Maniacs, Aloe Blacc, Natalie Maines, Little Big Town – was thrilling and a total blast, every time.
In a different vibe, Mark and I have hosted super-intimate house concerts in our living room that were chill and wonderful, giving us the chance to highlight some emerging artists for old and new friends. (And sometimes feature performances by our children for a few indulgent moments. Sorry.) Lastly, I’ve loved the opportunity to perform in support of many non-profits around town, starting with the National Ability Center, where I ran the participant choir that performed at their Starry Night Gala for several years. Those kids changed my life – and I’m delighted to still see many of them around town.
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My book sparked me to launch a small coaching practice called Creative Hustle where I help clients pursue their creative aspirations with music, writing, selling art, whatever (often after much delay or hesitation). One thing I always encourage clients to do (and do myself!) is called “Finale Thinking,” a process of imagining the final rewarding steps of a completed project in highly sensory ways. It might be picturing yourself signing your new book at Dolly’s Books & Gifts, or how you’d answer Randy Barton’s questions about your new CD on KPCW radio station, or greeting friends coming to see your paintings at CREATE PC, or feeling the bright warmth of the stage lighting as you step onstage at the Egyptian Theatre to perform. Permitting ourselves to imagine a great, satisfying outcome helps us – even in the earliest stages – to know what our version of success might look like, which guides the process tremendously.
I also am a huge fan of the “artist date,” a scheduled time each week where you go to sensorially stimulating places (the farmers market, a county fair, a new forest trail, anything that fills the well) to give you more life/stories/ideas/images/materials with which to create. Sometimes our own lives provide plenty of rich content; other times it’s wonderful to gather it from the fascinating sources around us.
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Park City and Summit County communities evoke a great small-town feel, but also offer proximity to an international airport and a large metropolitan area…it’s truly the best of both worlds. We have high-tech companies operating next door to historic (sometimes haunted!) buildings…Olympic level training centers just blocks from community recreation facilities, cows grazing next to world-class fly-fishing rivers. Living here is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of existence: you get to decide how active, socially involved, or insulated you wish to be (or not). And if you need to occasionally hole up and chill with a good book by a crackling fire, that is a perfectly acceptable option too, and I can’t imagine a cozier place to do it!
I like how there’s annual events to look forward to: Kimball Arts Festival, Miner’s Day, Running with Ed, Park City Follies, the Oakley Rodeo, Savor the Summit, Summit County Fair in Coalville, Sundance Film Festival, Harvest Fest in Kamas, and Halloween on Main Street. And all mark each season with fun, festivities, and local color. There’s continuity in these community traditions.
Things like the 2002 Olympics, massive real estate development and a general population expansion have certainly affected local character…but people have largely tried to roll with it. And sometimes profit from it, which helps attitudes quite a bit. In recent years, the arrival of Vail Resorts (and its many Epic passholders) and the explosion of Airbnb-type vacation rentals have impacted Park City in more challenging ways. For the first time, we’ve been hearing local murmurings of what ‘the next place’ might be, what’s the escape plan for those thinking of relocating to a place more like the earlier, slower, smaller version of Park City. But it’s a tough one to consider. I mean, where else do you possibly get all this?
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I think my song “This Is Our Life” owes a lot to Park City, as it was inspired by my husband Mark and the wild, mundane, wonderful, and messy mosaic of life we create every day for ourselves and each other. I’ve sung it at many wedding ceremonies and celebrations of life; being part of other people’s special moments is such an honor and makes the song resonate even more deeply for me. Sometimes people commission me to write a personal song for a special anniversary or family member’s big birthday, etc. – those are very, very close to my heart, because they reflect another person’s story – their path and wisdom, hardest challenges, and most treasured moments. I must do them justice! There is usually crying at its first performance. Me included.
One other song that comes to mind was one I wrote about Park City awhile back, called “This Is the Mountain Song.” It was inspired by a short-lived but beautiful local artisan farm founded by our friend Lynsey. I incorporated elements of Park City’s history and modern life in the lyrics in a way that I hope serves as a worthy tribute to this place that I love so much. If Park City Municipal ever considers designating a local “Songwriter Laureate,” this is the type of piece I hope the role would produce. And I will happily apply for the position. :)
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I’m most proud of my family – to be married to my amazing husband for over 23 years and be able to raise and love our awesome kids here. They all challenge, delight, illuminate, and support me every day.
I’m also really proud to have been one of the founders of Mountain Town Music (and am amazed at Brian Richards’ tireless work that keeps it growing and thriving). I’m proud to have been able to perform or take part in events with so many PC institutions, such as Park City Follies, TedX, Park City Divas, Park Silly Sunday Market, Park City Institute, Egyptian Theatre, Kimball Art Center, Leadership Park City, Neighbor Day, Project ABC, 2002 Olympics, America’s Opening, etc. And finally, I’m really proud to have followed the unexpected calling that drew me here (and to survive those lean early years!), so I could stay and get to know and love so many wonderful people.
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One of my TedX talks highlights the responsibility of creativity – how we might reframe inspiration and expression as moral imperatives, rather than luxuries to be indulged when all the ‘real work’ is done. Let’s do that! Arts and culture are the lifeblood of any community…the juice! A&C elements attract interest, spur gatherings, support inclusivity, advance knowledge, and drive massive economic benefit…far more than people might realize. It also diversifies the economic base: if skiing becomes less viable in future decades, having a vibrant A&C scene will help protect Park City from becoming a modern ghost town. Lastly, it evens out income for people who might otherwise be overdependent on seasonal employment…art and culture are inclusive, empowering, and all the time!
We understand booms and busts here – the remnants are literally in the water – but with strong planning and wise appropriation, we can protect the future of arts and culture as one of our most potent assets.