Sorella - Carla Virola - Actress, Singer, Dancer

Sorella

Carla and Lisa Marie Virola

Sister. Hermana. Soeur. Schwester. Achot. No matter how you say it, Sorella -- Italian for sister -- are two, Bella, classically trained, dynamic musicians/dancers who know and live R&B driven dance music.

Carla and Lisa Marie Virola have been performing together all their lives. As accomplished vocalists, actresses and dancers, their combined individual experiences include appearances on "Saturday Night Live", "As the World Turns", the PBS TV film "Slake's Limbo", commercials ranging from Diet Coke to Nike, performances with the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, and Teatro Porton, appearances in the Westchester Opera Company, the Hispanic World's Fair, dance recitals at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and walk on high-profile shots in the films "Falling in Love" with Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep and Eddie Murphy's "Boomerang". Not bad for two new faces on today's music scene!

The Virola sisters studied performance and fine art at New York's prestigious High School of Music and Art, and musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Their practiced-since-birth vocal harmonies have been heard on many radio spots including top 40 song parodies on Z100/Tribune Broadcasting Radio Syndicate. They have established their vocal reputation as backup singers for numerous New York bands and recording artists.

Sorella's debut CD EP "Symmetry in Motion" is the culmination of their shared life and musical influences. "We grew up in a very traditional family in Spanish Harlem," remembers Carla . "after World War II, our father studied voice and advanced music theory under the GI Bill Of Rights and brought music into the house." For the Virolas, music became an alternative to the everyday tumultuous existence outside their door. Adds Lisa Marie, "for the most part, our parents wouldn't let us out of the house... instead, they encouraged us to turn to music, dance and art instead of drugs and violence."

With influences ranging from Beatles harmonies to opera's Jessye Norman, Gloria Estefan to Aretha Franklin, Sorella has created their own New York-based sound. "Our palms are on the pavement feeling for new street beats," admits Lisa Marie. "Carla and I have always married our classical training to our urban influences." Continues Carla, "I guess you could call our music R&B with a Latin twist. Our live shows incorporate explosive dance moves, creating a must see stage show."

The familial elements of love, support, compassion and teamwork are evident in the sound and soul of
Sorella... Two Sisters + Two Voices + Two Energies = Great Music!