Jo Muhrer (Beverly May Laurence) was born in Melbourne, Victoria. Jo was a musically gifted young woman who could sing in seven different languages. By her mid-twenties she had toured most American and European countries. In 1962, she was introduced to Ugo Ceresoli (who she would later marry) and his Latino-Italian ‘Mokambo Orchestra’. This sparked an interest in Latino-Italian music that would continue for the rest of her career.
In 1967, Jo won first prize at the Australian Festival of Italian Songs, held at San Remo ballroom in Carlton, with her rendition of ''Tu Sei Come Una Nuvola'' (You Are Like A Cloud) and second prize with ''Come Mai'' (How). She was the only Australian to enter the festival. Although she was unable to speak Italian, Jo could sing in Italian and many other languages very naturally. These languages included Hebrew, Portuguese, Turkish, French, German and English, reflecting the extensive travelling she embarked on in her twenties and her interest in other cultures.
By the 1980s Jo was working at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), one of the most prestigious music schools in Australia. Here she oversaw the organisation of concerts, musical performances and their educational purposes’ Jo, a valued member of the music community, now teaches singing lessons privately from her home in Heidelberg Heights, Victoria.
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