March 13, 2009, Sixth Cuban visit to the Jardín, By Guadalupe Meza, Profile of an opera star, By Lou Christine, From Cracker Jacks to virtuosos, By Robert Conrow; Photos by Libby Clemens

Renowned artist and muralist David Leonardo kicks off his show of new paintings.

Born in Mexico City in 1963, Leonardo (Chavez Castañeda) began painting as soon as he could hold a brush. Both his parents, Angélica Castañeda Velasco and Humberto Chavez Cabrales, were painters, and he has remained in close contact with other artists. The sixth Festival of Cuban Culture takes place in San Miguel de Allende March 12–22. This year the festival honors Cuban musician Ibrahim Ferrer, widely known from Buena Vista Social Club.

As in previous years, the festival includes a exhibition and sale of different products from Cuban culture. In the literary area, the most important editorial houses in Cuba bring us their most outstanding work, with special attention to social anthropology, science, children’s literature and the classic Cuban tales, novels and poetry.

Two conferences given by Vivian Martínez Tabares, Cultural Council of the Cuban Embassy in Mexico, and Alfonso Herrera Franyutti, expert in José Martí, apostle of Cuban independence, will be offered within the academic aspect of the festival.

The festival will join the festivities for the 50th anniversary of the Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográficas (Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry) with four films: Viva Cuba (2005); La edad de la peseta (The Age of the Peseta) (2005), a co-production with Spain; Yo soy, del son a la salsa (1996), a documentary about Cuban music; and the recently filmed El cuerno de la abundancia (The Horn of Abundance) (2008).

A special guest for this year’s festival is Sonora Habanera, who offer a free dance concert in the Jardín at 8.30pm on March 14. Through 10 days, the festival offers a musical tribute to Ibrahim Ferrer, with the performances of different groups which play Cuban rhythms like danzón, bolero, rumba and Cuban son. Some of the groups are Prudencio and Jesusa, the Danzonera Orchestra of Tony Sánchez, Grupo Antillanos, Julián Mendieta and the Monroy Blues Group.

All the activities are free and most are performed in the Jardín. The conferences are at Bellas Artes and Hotels Masión Virreyes, while the films are screened at Teatro Ángela Peralta. Tickets for the films are available at the literary exhibition in the Jardín. Visit www.cubaensanmiguel.com for more information.

March 12
Opening, noon
Plaza Principal

Lecture, 6pm
Development of Cuban culture, 50 years after
the Revolution
Vivian Martínez, Spanish

Music, 8pm
Dos gardenias
By Ibrahim Ferrer
Prudencio & Jesusa
Jardín

March 13

Lecture, 5pm
José Martí in Mexico
Alfonso Herrera Franyutti
Bellas Artes, Hernández Macías 75

Music, 7pm
Tribute to Ibrahim Ferrer
Grupo Antillanos
Jardín

March 15

Music, 6pm
Danzón for Ibrahim Ferrer
Orquesta Danzonera de Tony Sánchez
Jardín

March 16
Dance, 6.30pm
Yanira Castellanos & José Luis González,
Asociación de Baile del Estado de Guanajuato
Jardín

Film, 8pm
Viva Cuba
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Mesones & Hernández Macías

March 17

Dance, 6.30pm
Dancers Club from the Academia de Baile México
Jardín

Film, 7.30pm
La edad de la peseta (The Age of Peseta)
Dir. Pavel Giroud
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Hernández Macías & Mesones

March 18

Film, 5.30pm
Documentary Yo soy del son a la salsa
Dir. Rigoberto López

Music, 7pm
Boleros de Cuba y México
Trío Los Querubines
Jardín

Film, 8pm
El cuerno de la abundancia (The Horn of Abundance)
Dir. Juan Carlos Tavío
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Hernández Macías & Mesones

March 21

Music/Closing Ceremony, 8.30pm
Presentation of CD “Será realidad” (It will be a reality)
Monroy Blues Group
Jardín

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Opera
The 3 Sopranos
Fri–Sat, Mar 13–14, 8pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Mesones 82
150/300 pesos

Profile of an opera star
By Lou Christine

A few weeks back while scouting San Miguel for where she’ll perform as one of The 3 Sopranos, I talked with Liliana Del Conde on the patio at the Italian Coffee Company at La Luciérnaga. Del Conde and her co-Sopranos are singing famous arias from various composers this weekend.

Expecting to be interviewing a serious opera star, I guess the first thing I was taken by was Del Conde’s demeanor—her genuine deep laugh and the liveliness of her eyes as she sat with her friend and agent.

Del Conde spoke of how she grew up in a show business family. Her father was a tenor who was described in his time as the Mario Lanza of Mexico, yet like Lanza, he died early when she was only five. Her mom, a one-time flamenco dancer, who is also deceased, shelved her dance career and became a business manager for some of Mexico's biggest show biz stars.

Del Conde got her show business start performing on radio and TV as a youngster. At the age of 12, when visiting Bellas Artes in Mexico City, she made a promise that one day she would sing La Traviatta in the building and one of her goals is to sing it when the building reopens in 2011.

She initially received her training in the world of classical music in Germany. The mother of three lives in San Luis Potosi and has been married to a German national for 19 years. “He’s just great,” she bragged, saying she couldn’t be married to a greater guy. She went on to explain that her other two singing partners also are married with children and how their spouses also have respect for their passion and how they balance families and professional careers and couldn’t pull it off without the support of their understanding husbands.

Del Conde explained how the voices of The 3 Sopranos vary from light to lyrical to dramatic. She says it takes at least six years of hard work for one to train the voice to sing opera. Throughout Europe she had opportunities to view and perform, enabling her to hone her craft.

She said the Sopranos are ready to perform in San Miguel. “We performed here a little over a year ago at a smaller venue and to sing at Ángela Peralta will be a joy. The acoustics are so good there.”

Del Conde has been coming to San Miguel as a tourist for years. “I love your Parroquia; it’s so stunning and there’s something about San Miguel that is so exciting. People are from everywhere; they’re helpful when asked for directions or other information. Our families and my fellow Sopranos have been talking about it, and not only are we excited about the two performances, but the ambience, shopping and restaurants in San Miguel are marvelous, too.

“We are thrilled the Bajio Rep Company is going to provide a couple of days for solid rehearsals. The line-up of music looks terrific. We’re bringing our own accompanying pianist who’s brilliant and there’s a couple more surprises in store for the audiences here. Our last series of concerts in San Luis Potosi were stimulating and we’re sensing our shows in San Miguel will be even more so.”

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Children’s Violin Concert
Mon, Mar 23, 6pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Mesones 82
Free

From Cracker Jacks to virtuosos
By Robert Conrow; Photos by Libby Clemens

Rarely does a San Miguel music event deliver such strong doses of heart and harmonics as the gathering of 30 talented young musicians, mostly from San Miguel’s orphanages, who will perform in the third annual Children’s Violin Concert.

The violinists range in age from 2½ years to 18, and are schooled in the Suzuki Method by Program Director Libby Clemens. The youngest children begin their training by practicing on old-fashioned Cracker Jack boxes.

“You can’t get these anymore,” says Clemen, holding a vintage box graced by a smiling Sailor Jack and his dog, Bingo. “But believe me, they make ideal practice violins.” Soon—usually before they reach the age of three—the playful performers graduate to miniature-sized violins, made from real wood and designed to accommodate their small hands.

“They’re the show-stoppers,” admits Clemens, explaining how infants learn to recognize and produce beautiful sounds. “When I’m teaching, I always look for that ‘spark,’ the time when a child is listening to a recording of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ and his eyes light up like sparklers.”

The training offered by Clemens is based on a theory of language acquisition called “Mother Tongue,” which Shinichi Suzuki created after traveling to Germany in the twenties and discovering how hard it was to learn a new language. “Suzuki realized the German children learned quickly what he couldn’t, because they didn’t start out by trying to read books,” says Clemens. “With the Suzuki Method, first you play and have fun,” Clemens gestures to a room full of toys and enticements. “Then, eventually, the children learn to read the notes as well.”

Clemens’ innovative application of the Suzuki Method combines storytelling—imagine if you will, thirsty camels traveling back and forth across the desert sand of the violin’s bow—with lots of encouragement for her students to be non-competitive and enjoy themselves. Saturday night’s performance includes selections where older children play harmony parts with the younger musicians, and duets that spring from the recognition that children’s varied abilities make the best music.

San Miguel’s Suzuki String Orphanage Program was launched in 2007 at the nexus of two propitious events. Clemens arrived from New York and San Miguel’s orphanages obtained violins, cellos and music stands with grants from the Chagrin Falls (Ohio) Rotary Club, Rotary International and the Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday.

Before coming to San Miguel, Clemens, who had a music degree from Indiana University, was living in Manhattan and commuting daily to Long Island to supervise six teachers at the Huntington Suzuki Music School.

“I read Tony Cohan’s novel about living On Mexican Time,” recalls Clemens, “and I dreamed about getting the heck out of New York. But it just didn’t seem possible. Then, amazingly, I came across an ad in the Suzuki Journal saying that San Miguel was looking for a teacher.” Her dark eyes grow brighter as she recalls the moment. “Could this,” I asked myself, “be my own little miracle on 34th Street?”

The man who placed the ad was David Mallory, who initiated a Suzuki program in San Miguel and then developed health problems and had to leave town. Soon the two were exchanging letters and emails every few days. Within eight months, Clemens had packed up all her belongings, sold her New York apartment and was living in San Miguel. “It was thrilling and it was absolutely daunting,” remembers Clemens.

Casa Hogar Don Bosco for girls, the Casa Hogar Santa Julia for girls and Santuario Hogar Guadalupano for boys, all wanted music programs. They had the instruments; they had willing students; but they didn’t have any teachers. And Clemens didn’t speak any Spanish.

Clemens experienced her “second miracle” the day Manuel and Luis Hernández rang her doorbell saying they wanted to study violin. In short order, the two brothers not only learned to play the violin like virtuosos, but they signed on as her first teachers in the orphanages.

The Peralta performance will be a celebration of Clemens’s efforts and a tribute to the success of San Miguel’s Suzuki Program. Violinists include the orphanage children, several advanced students who have been with Clemens since her arrival and the group Clemens calls her “little boxers”—the 2½-year-olds playing on their Cracker Jack boxes.

While admission is free, donations are welcome and much appreciated. San Miguel’s Suzuki Program needs additional funds to continue its work and open more musical doors for local youth.