Hailing from a small Idaho farm town, soprano Cecilia Violetta López grew up singing in mariachi bands celebrating her Mexican roots. But when she first attended an opera in college, her destiny changed forever. Now a resident artist at Opera San José, López is getting some significant stage time. Modeled after German regional opera companies, Opera San José employs eight to 10 resident artists who sing leading roles in mainstage productions throughout the company’s season. López shares how the program is shaping her career, as well as the stepping stones that helped her land the coveted position.
I understand you are originally from Rupert, Idaho. What was it like there?
Both my father and mother are from Michoacán, Mexico, but I was born in that small Idaho town. It’s in a farming area where my parents got jobs and settled in for work purposes. Because Idaho has harsh winters and farm work doesn’t really exist there during the coldest months, we were able to travel back to Mexico every year. Thus, we could keep close ties with our extended family and spend time with them. We value and cherish this tradition, so my siblings and I still travel to Mexico to see our family as often as we can.
How did you first become interested in music?
My mother helped jump-start my interest in music. When she worked in the fields, she took me and my older brother with her. While there, she would often sing old, traditional rancheras, an art form that is slowly disappearing, in my opinion. After a while, I would chime in with my own small voice and, eventually, I started harmonizing with her. We just made music by ear. None of us had any sort of musical training, but we really had a genuine love for music.
One day my parents purchased a second-hand keyboard and they were surprised to find that I could play melodies by ear. Shortly after that, and despite her language barrier, my mother found me a piano teacher from whom I could take lessons for a modest fee. I studied with that teacher for four years but found the process to be very tedious. Against my mother’s wishes, I decided to quit formal instruction, but I continued to teach myself how to play the piano. At the same time, I began to sing with local mariachi bands in both Michoacán and Idaho for weddings and quinceañeras. I was a bona fide musician and local celebrity. Well, at least that’s what I thought!
Thinking back on it now, I was silly for not realizing how much talent surrounded me. The musicians in the Mariachi bands I dealt with were gifted and truly self-taught. For instance, they had the ability to modulate a song from one key to another for me on the spot without sheet music. I had no concept of what that really involved until I began my academic studies and went through formal music training. I am definitely thankful for my upbringing and proud of my heritage. Both of those factors have helped me become the person I am today.
Did you participate in any extra curricular activities at school?
I did not play sports but I was a dancer in junior and senior high school. Although I had no formal dance training, I was proud to be one of the first Hispanics to be selected for two dance teams. I learned everything by observing other dancers and practicing a lot. I also played the piano in church for about five years. That was quite a good learning experience for me as it forced me to practice and sharpen my piano-playing skills.
What were your first experiences with opera?
I learned to speak English by watching Sesame Street as a child, so my first experience with opera was watching Beverly Sills sing classical, opera parodies on Sesame Street. I thought she sang very beautiful music, but I did not hear any opera again for a long time. It was not until 2007 that I saw my first opera, La bohème, at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. I had begun my undergraduate work as a music education major there in 2006. The following year, when I saw the production, I was amazed. I asked myself, “What is this? Oh, my goodness!” I wept at the end of the opera. In fact, my husband looked at me and asked me what was wrong, but I simply could not explain the feelings that overwhelmed me.
I’ve been hooked on opera ever since. From then on I was sure I wanted to be part of that art. Since then I have studied the role of Mimì, but so far I’ve not had the opportunity to perform it. Since that opera is done frequently, however, I do hope to sing Mimì one of these days.
What did you do after high school?
I worked in the medical field. I was an orthopedic technician working for an orthopedic surgeon and I took evening classes at a local community college with hopes of becoming an operating room technician. Since I did not start attending the university until I had worked for a time, I did not have to take out loans for my higher education. During my second year at the University of Nevada, I began to receive scholarships, and they helped a great deal financially. After that, I suppose, faculty members started to notice me, because I would receive random scholarships that I never applied for. They certainly were welcome surprises.
Who have been your most helpful teachers?
I learned a lot from all of my teachers, but I would have to say that Dr. Tod Fitzpatrick was extremely helpful my last three years at UNLV. If you have a good work ethic and spend a good bit of time locked up in a practice room, he appreciates your effort and works equally as hard with you. He could see that I was hungry for the art of singing. He not only taught me technique, he also advised me on important topics like where to audition and what Young Artist Programs to look into. These days he is still my teacher, my mentor, and a good friend as well. I really was lucky to have been assigned to him by the university.
Have you participated in any Young Artist Programs besides the one at Opera San José?
Before becoming a resident singer at Opera San José, I participated in summer programs at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) and the Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival. During the summer I spent at AIMS in Graz, Austria, I studied with Lori McCann and was able to participate in excellent masterclasses with Gabriele Lechner and Patricia Craig. From them I received a great deal of insight and helpful information that I am still putting to use.
Opera San José is a fabulous learning experience. I get wonderful pointers from Irene Dalis. It’s kind of surreal to think that this world-famous singer who has sung everywhere is my boss. Opera San José is a bit different from most Young Artist Programs because when you are hired here, you are already considered a professional artist and are performing roles for an entire season rather than covering or singing comprimario roles.
Did you have fun at the premiere of Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers at Opera San José?
[She giggles in a charmingly girlish way as she answers.] I did. Everyone in the cast had a great time, and we all sang our faces off! The Pearl Fishers is an opera that is being performed more often now than it was in earlier times. It’s such a lovely opera that I hope will stay in the repertory of most opera houses from now on. The story is very simple, but the music is incredibly beautiful. The Opera San José production, directed by Richard Harrell, is yet another version of this opera that can now be seen in the U.S. With productions now available from at least three opera companies, there should be many performances of this charming opera around the country.
Who are the singers you most admire?
Among sopranos, I like Renée Fleming, Renata Tebaldi, Sondra Radvanovsky, Montserrat Caballé and Ailyn Pérez, to name a few. There are so many great singers that one can hear either live or on recordings. Mirella Freni, for instance, is a favorite of mine. One of my friends will be going to Italy to study with her at the Accademia Lirica Mirella Freni! What an amazing opportunity for her! I’m so proud of her. Right now, I’m listening to a great deal of Radvanovsky because I will be singing Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore later this season.
Is it harder to start a career when you are married?
Perhaps it is a little bit harder, but my husband is most interested in seeing that I succeed at my career. Actually, it was he who motivated me to go to school and pursue a degree in music, and he was the one who supported my decision in changing my major from music education to vocal performance. He is a Las Vegas physician and is not all that musical himself, but he is very supportive of my singing and has an appreciation for the art form. We have a daughter and right now she is home with her dad while I am performing Léïla here in San José.
What roles have you performed so far?
I started out with Nella, a smaller role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. I’ve also done Kate Pinkerton in his Madama Butterfly. My first leading role was Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. I loved singing Poppea in Monteverdi’s 17th century opera, L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival. In my opinion, that opera is a little gem of which only the surface has been scratched. The accompaniment was small, as it was originally. There was a harpsichord, a lute, a few strings, and a couple of horns—maybe 10 instruments in all.
I also sang Gasparina in La canterina by Haydn and I did Suor Angelica with Opera San Luis Obispo right after completing my undergraduate degree. A week after Opera San Luis Obispo, I performed Micaëla in Carmen with UNLV Opera Theatre—only, that time as an alumna! Shortly after, Opera Las Vegas engaged me for Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni under the baton of Maestro Gregory Buchalter. Soon after that, I moved here to sing Léïla in The Pearl Fishers.
Of all those roles, my favorite so far has been Suor Angelica. When I sang that role, Opera San Luis Obispo did the production in collaboration with the California Polytechnic State University. We didn’t do the classic Il trittico. The program consisted of the one-act opera and scenes from other operas which were performed by wonderful Cal Poly students. A lovely mezzo-soprano who sang the Princess and I were the only hired artists; students performed the other roles. I like Suor Angelica because of the complexity of the role. She hides behind a veil of mystery until you find out about the underlying details of her previous life. We eventually realize that she is a tender, loving woman who misses her family and son. The fact that she is a mother is what really got to me emotionally. Since I am a mother, myself, I could relate to her intimately.
Who are some of the stage directors that you have worked with?
I worked with Rick Harrell when I sang Poppea and I’m working with him again at Opera San José in The Pearl Fishers. I use each rehearsal as a learning opportunity and I try to acquire as much knowledge as I can from the director and from my colleagues.
In addition to opera, I enjoy singing recitals with collaborative artists who are willing to make music with me. Spanish songs are wonderful to sing, and I’m fond of German lieder as well. If a recital opportunity presents itself, I’ve been considering having titles on a screen instead of just having translations of the songs in a program.
What are your plans and goals for the future?
My current, short-term goal is to learn roles quickly and efficiently. I want to perform them to the best of my ability! Right now I’m rehearsing Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus for Opera San José. In February, I will sing Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore. A long-term goal I would like to pursue is adding more roles to my repertoire. Manon is a character I really love and would enjoy portraying. Also, I find the character of Anne Trulove in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress quite fascinating. I love her music.
Opera San José’s Resident Artist Program consists of a year-long contract. I am currently talking to my husband about the possibility of staying another year here. My main goal is to keep singing for a long, long time. I love my job because it is rewarding in so many ways. Words cannot really express what I gain from performing. For me, the emotional impact is overwhelming and motivates me to keep singing.
Are there some clips of your singing online?
I have media recordings on my website (ceciliaviolettalopez.com). There are a few scenes from The Pearl Fishers on the Opera San José website (http://operasj.org/galleries/operas/the-pearl-fishers/).
Do you have any hobbies?
Before I got so busy with music, I used to be fond of scrapbooking. Now I have many pictures of my daughter that need to be put in albums for safekeeping. With singing, rehearsing, learning roles, etc., I’ve not been able to keep up with it. It will take me a few months to catch up.
These days I have an appreciation of traveling and being outdoors. I also love to cook, and since my mother now has a restaurant in Rupert, I get many good recipes from her. Some of them have been passed down from my grandmother, so they are really traditional. My mother’s restaurant is called Loncheria El Veinte.
I love animals, too. We have a little yappy dog named Ewok back home. I read when I can, especially if I think the book will help my career. The last one I finished was Renée Fleming’s The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer. It was a great read, and I really enjoyed it.
