Joseph McClain: La Pasión de la ópera en San Miguel
By John Bills
Joseph McClain gazes out from his terrace over an extraordinary vista below: the sixteenth-century colonial city of San Miguel de Allende which has been his home for the past six years.
McClain came to San Miguel after an extraordinary and wide-ranging career in the world of opera. A tenor, he graduated from the prestigious Eastman School of Music and Indiana University, and embarked on a 10-year career as a singer in Germany. At the encouragement of his company’s Intendant, McClain began a transition to the role of stage director, not only directing operas, but also plays by German, American and British authors. Following his stint in Europe, McClain returned home where he soon became a much-sought-after director in the US and Canada, directing virtually the entire international opera repertory.
His vast experience on both sides of the footlights led to his becoming the founding General and Artistic Director of Austin Lyric Opera. In his 18-year tenure he guided that company to become the Wunderkind of new American opera companies.
McClain’s passion for opera, and for new projects, led him in 2004 to take on the challenge of becoming Artistic Director of the fledgling Ópera de San Miguel (ÓSM). After producing an extraordinary operatic concert in the Plaza de Toros of San Miguel, attended by 4,000 people, McClain has now turned ÓSM’s efforts to developing and promoting the careers of young Mexican singers. In 2008, ÓSM auditioned 116 applicants in Mexico City, and brought 11 finalists to San Miguel for a Grand Concurso where 100,000 pesos in career grants were awarded, in an evening that took on the atmosphere of a championship soccer match.
We interviewed McClain recently after a moonlit gathering of sanmiguelenses attending “An Evening with Joseph McClain.”
ProÓpera: Ópera de San Miguel now devotes all its resources to the discovery, development and promotion of talented young Mexican singers, both young professionals and those on the verge of professional careers. Why is that?
McClain: We of Ópera de San Miguel feel very seriously this is an effort that can really make a difference in our country. It’s like a long-term investment in the cultural life of the republic. We know there is a wealth of potential talent in México, young singers possessing that special Latin vocal color and a fascinating access to the passion of operatic singing. People in the world of opera who are responsible for casting, and hear literally hundreds of singers each year, including myself, have always had a strong interest in discovering Mexican singers. So, for all of those reasons we are throwing our efforts behind discovering this talent and then providing them with grants for the huge expenses connected with continued development and international travel.
ProOpera: In addition to giving career grants, does Ópera de San Miguel provide any performance opportunities for the winners of your Concurso?
McClain: This is an important issue to us, too. Already in the first year of the Concurso, we have brought a number of our winners and finalists back to San Miguel for concerts and other performance events. Our short-term goal would be to mount a multi-week intensive training session for the finalists of the competition which would culminate in an actual production of an opera suited to their particular stage of development. We want all phases of this contest to contain a training element, so that there is always the possibility of continued growth as an artist.
For example, during the week of the finals we require those singers to be here for several days of intensive coaching and master classes in preparation for the final concert. Even if a finalist didn’t win a prize, we would love he or she to say, “Despite not winning, this competition has been really valuable for me and I am coming away from the experience a better performer.” This year we are also very happy to announce that the internationally famous Mexican soprano Gilda Cruz-Romo has joined our team of judges and we are hoping that our finalists will be able to benefit though a master class that she might be willing to give.
ProÓpera: Where does the money come from for these grants? Private donors? Government underwriting?
McClain: A very interesting question! All of the funds for the Concurso San Miguel come from private individuals and businesses. By far the majority of the funds come from individuals who believe in this effort and believe in young Mexican artists. Believe it or not, up to this point, we have managed this competition without government funding. Another factor is that all of us who work for Ópera de San Miguel do so without any financial compensation…it’s a thing of the heart!
ProÓpera: San Miguel has a large foreign population, mainly from the US and Canada, estimated at more than 10 percent of the city. Do the supporters of Ópera de San Miguel come mostly from this group, or is the entire community engaged?
McClain: It’s a fact that San Miguel is a hugely diverse community. Among our closest supporters, we already represent six nationalities! So, our challenge is to have the opera mirror the great diversity that is the character of this special city. In addition, in all of our events we price tickets so that the widest possible cross-section of the community can attend and have access. The excitement of this great music and these wonderful voices needs to be for all the community, whatever nationality, whatever socio-economic level. Ópera de San Miguel needs to belong to all the community.
ProÓpera: This program sounds as though it provides an invaluable bridge for young singers from talented student to professional artist. You and the Ópera de San Miguel family deserve tremendous praise for this generous and important program. When is the next round of auditions and how can interested singers apply?
McClain: The deadline for applications was May 4. Singers interested in future auditions should go to the website
www.operasanmiguel.org where they will find a link to the official convocatoria with all the requirements necessary to enter the competition and, by the way, a nine-minute video compilation from last year’s final concert.
The first round of the Concurso San Miguel was in Mexico City at Escuela Superior de Musica on May 19, 21 and 22, and the final round and concert will be in San Miguel at Teatro Ángela Peralta on the evening of June 20.
Artículo reproducido con autorización de los editores. Revista ProÓpera, mayo-junio 2009. Article reproduced with authorization from the editors. ProÓpera magazine, May–June 2009
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Concert
Folklore Harp &
Flamenco Guitar
Sergio Basurto
Mon & Thu, Jun 8 & 11, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
150 pesos
Mexican harp tradition
By Sergio Basurto
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The primary role of the harp, whether in a solo or group context, was to provide bass lines by pulling octaves with the left hand. With the right hand, the harpist executed melodic lines or provided simple harmonic accompaniment. |
The harp helped establish the visual and acoustic aesthetic of the small ensemble, with its characteristic “booming” bass and its aggressive treble attacks.
In its traditional cultural context, the mariachi harp thrived because it was suited for the type of musical group in which it existed. The harp could play a full range of notes without encountering the difficulties of complex harmonies and modulation.
The harp could be heard easily over the entire group. Its size, weight, and awkward bulkiness probably posed less of a burden on the rural harpist who did not have to transport his instrument long distances, as opposed to the highly mobile urban musicians. Consequently, the musical and non-musical circumstances surrounding the rural music culture allowed for the creation of a strong harp tradition in western Mexico.
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Piano Concert
Antonio Cabrero Mendoza
Fri, Jun 5 & 12, 6pm
Sala Quetzal
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
150 pesos
Classics to ragtime
| Antonio Cabrero is an international pianist with a distinctive and stylish elegance for combining his classical training with traditional jazz, along with his own exotic inspirations, an exquisite combination of tonal harmony that delights audiences. | |
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Cabrero is known throughout Mexico as a symphony conductor, but his piano concerts have assumed new relevance in recent years due to his passion for creating and improvising over US jazz standards and music from Spain and México.
During studies in New York, he did extensive research on the classical music of India and many of his improvisations are based in those musical structures.
Typical themes for his Biblioteca concerts would include the classics and Gershwin, waltzes of Vienna and Mexico, movie soundtracks, the Alhambra Palace, ragtime, the Beatles and romantic piano music.
The piano is one of the most familiar musical instruments, widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensembles, chamber music and accompaniment. It is classified as both a percussion and a stringed instrument, which allows the pianist to produce notes at different dynamic levels by controlling the speed with which the hammers hit the strings.
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