From Silence to Spotlight: Uncovering The Legacy of Nannerl Mozart in Extraordinary Fringe Play

Mozart had a sister. Maria Anna (Nannerl) Mozart was a musical prodigy who toured Europe with her brother, sometimes billed above him. But while his legacy flourished, hers was silenced. The Other Mozart, a beautiful and critically acclaimed play coming to the Edinburgh Festival in August, brings her story vividly to life. In this interview, performer Daniella Galli reflects on inhabiting Nannerl’s voice, connecting across centuries, and why the play continues to resonate with audiences worldwide.

The Other Mozart shines a light on a forgotten female genius - Nannerl Mozart. Why do you think her story was overlooked for so long?

Nannerl Mozart’s story was largely overlooked because of the societal norms and gender roles of the 18th century, which denied women access to professional artistic careers. Nannerl was an acclaimed child prodigy, trained by her father, and often performed all over Europe alongside her younger brother, Wolfgang - sometimes even billed before him. But while his career took off, hers quietly ended.

Back then, when a woman came of age, performing in public was seen as improper and it carried connotations not far from prostitution. It could ruin her chances of marriage, which was one of the only secure paths for women without noble birth.

We know from the family letters that she composed music and that Wolfgang praised it, but none of her work survived. That absence has made it harder for future generations to fully recognize the scope of her talent. Like many other women, her legacy was lost in a history that mostly celebrated men.

By shining a light on Nannerl’s story, The Other Mozart reclaims her existence  and offers us a more complete and honest picture of the Mozart legacy.

The play is based on the Mozart family’s own letters and meticulous research. How did you connect with Nannerl through those words, and what helped you inhabit her voice and world?

The letters offer more than a historical account of facts - they reveal the dynamics within the Mozart family and how much they shared with one another. The siblings were very close: they grew up on the road, were each other’s only playmates, and their play was music. Sylvia Milo created a show that captures this beautifully. Directed by Isaac Byrne, with costume design by Magdalena Dąbrowska and Miodrag Guberinic, music score that includes original compositions by Nathan Davis and Phyllis Chen, hair style by Courtney Bednarowski, and lighting design by Joshua Rose, the play invites us into Nannerl’s world through a rich, immersive experience. There was a lot to draw from as a performer and a pleasure to work with such a talented team.

Nannerl had deep sensibility, humor, vibrance, and resilience. She found creative outlets even upon limited circumstances and held onto her essence despite the constraints. Her longing for something beyond the ordinary really speaks to me. She loved theatre, opera, fashion and - of course - music. She was so devoted to it that she would literally get sick when she couldn’t travel to perform. Music doesn’t ask for permission - it simply moves through us. That’s what Nannerl craved: the freedom to express, to play, to be. She loved performing.

I was also touched by how, despite her frustration at having to abandon her artistic path and her resentment toward the constraints, there’s no trace of that feeling toward her brother. If anything, she supported him and celebrated his success.

Although the play is based on a real person, I avoided imitation. My process was about finding where Nannerl’s inner world lives within me, in order to be a vessel for her story to come through in a truthful, personal way.

I also immersed myself in the period - paintings, clothing, furniture - so much of our physical behavior is shaped by what we wear and the spaces we inhabit. I worked with Janice Orlandi to learn 18th-century movement: posture, gestures, and fan language. A particularly fun challenge was creating all the other characters Nannerl describes and portraying them through her lens.

And of course, there’s music. It’s always part of my process - but here, absolutely essential.

What challenges did you face in bringing Nannerl’s voice to life? The show resonates strongly with today’s conversations around gender, visibility, and historical erasure in the arts. How does performing The Other Mozart feel relevant in this cultural moment?

Theatre is a space where past, present, and future can meet - or even where the very notion of time can dissolve. It's a place where a silenced voice can be heard again, not as an echo, but as an experience - fully alive. When we connect with something in a character - especially those who seem most different or distant from us - we’re able to live sensorially and emotionally through their shoes, without judgment. It creates empathy, which I believe is one of the most powerful and beautiful ways to inspire change.

Nannerl’s story reminds us how many talents were constantly dismissed or erased throughout history - not because they lacked brilliance, but because they lived in a world that refused to see them. And while we’ve made progress, many of those structures still linger. Telling her story helps us reframe the past to better understand the present and - hopefully - enlighten the future.

It’s not just about gender - it opens the door to reflect on how power, visibility, and opportunity intersect  with class, race, and identity, and  how some of our behavior is repeatedly shaped by conscious and subconscious patterns and prejudices that are rooted into a structural system.

Audiences around the world have connected deeply with this story, especially women. What kinds of reactions or conversations have stayed with you since you began performing the piece?

Each performance is an ephemeral, collective experience that never repeats itself. It always feels precious and - specially in this play - extremely rewarding.

I’ve had the pleasure of performing The Other Mozart in many venues, often to sold-out audiences, and what stays with me is how people connect and are so deeply moved by the show - regardless of age, gender, or culture. I believe part of it is because it doesn’t preach but invites - it allows for the story to breathe and speak by itself and the audience is free to feel whatever arises. As a one-woman piece, it enables me to incorporate their presence and feel their reactions very closely. Afterward, many stay to talk - some share their feelings and insights, others personal stories, and there are the ones who just thank me, visibly moved, even if they can't quite put it into words.

Among many moments I’ll never forget, this one happened in Arizona. A 76-year-old usher, moved to tears, told me she had never been so affected by a show. She watched every performance of the run, brought fellow ushers from all three of the venue’s theaters to see it, and after the final show, she said she had finally managed to sing in full voice -for the first time in her life. As a little girl, she loved singing, but her strict father disapproved, so she would only do it sotto voce. Her fear was so ingrained that even as an adult, her voice remained muffled. But at 76, after seeing the show, she went home determined to sing her lungs out. And she did. And she decided to join a choir.

Finally, what’s next for you and for The Other Mozart after Edinburgh?

I’m happy to be part of two other projects that also focus on women’s true stories.

Ângela Diniz: The Crime of Praia dos Ossos  is an HBO Max miniseries based on Rádio Novelo’s true crime podcast Praia dos Ossos. It reconstructs the 1976 murder of Brazilian socialite Ângela Diniz and the legal battle that followed.

The Fox Sisters is a feature film that tells the true story of sisters Lea, Maggie, and Kate Fox - American mediums who, in the mid-19th century, ignited the modern Spiritualism movement with their claims of communicating with spirits through “rappings.”

Sylvia Milo and I will continue to tour “The Other Mozart” within the US and were invited to perform at the Mozartwoche (Mozart Week) Festival in Salzburg. I’d love to perform it in Portuguese in Brazil - my native country - as well as taking Nannerl back to revisit more of the places in Europe where she performed as a child.

The Other Mozart will be performed at 1.45pm in Assembly George Square Studios from 30th July – 25th August

For tickets and more information, visit: https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/1109-the-other-mozart