Early Music America Spring 2013 - (Page 72)

INconclusion Teaching Recitative in Mexico Vocal students are introduced to early music techniques at a new festival in Michoacán By August Denhard OR THE PAST TWO SUMMERS, voice students in Mexico have been introduced to Baroque vocal style at Ars Vocalis Mexico, a month-long international vocal festival based in Zamora de Hidalgo, Michoacán. It’s a mainstream festival, but a course of early vocal studies was developed by Eric Mentzel (Sequentia, the Ferrara Ensemble) at the invitation of Ars Vocalis artistic director Carlos Zapien, his former student at the University of Oregon where Mentzel is professor of voice. Ars Vocalis Mexico is housed in Zamora’s Centro Regional de las Artes Michoacán, a distinctive modern building with pride of place adjacent to the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. In two summers the festival has made great strides, attracting students from all over Mexico and presenting concerts and operas throughout a F Eric Mentzel and lutenist August Denhard performing a recital at the Ars Vocalis Mexico. 72 Spring 2013 Early Music America region where excellent classical music is rarely heard. Full government underwriting means all public performances at the festival are free: the concerts in the theaters and churches in Zamora as well as the outreach concerts in the more remote villages. The festival has given early music a very high proﬁle, scheduling recitals by Eric and me in prominent venues and bringing in artists of international repute (the countertenor Michael Chance gave a performance and masterclass last summer). Last year, over 30 students enrolled in voice lessons and ensembles, as well as performing in recitals and opera. They concentrated on the 17thcentury Italian songs by Giulio Caccini, Jacopo Peri, and their contemporaries. This repertory was selected because the majority of it makes use of the recitative, the style that is the most unfamiliar to modern voice students. Most students coming to the program had training in standard 19th-century vocal style, so they had to set aside some of their old concepts. Some students found it a challenge to free themselves from the rhythm implied by the notation and needed extra encouragement to focus on the rhythm and pacing natural to the text. Having never sung to the accompaniment of a single lute, many felt naked without the familiar piano sonority to rely on for support. In the end, most embraced their newfound freedom and became true storytellers in recitative style. A few of the students have developed a passion for the style and are dedicating their careers to it. Lisa Rodriguez of Monterey attended the festival in 2011 and 2012 and has focused her energy since then on early voice as a career. In November, she sang in a performance of Purcell produced by the Orquesta Barroca La Partenope in Mexico City. Viviana Baez has gone on to produce, as well as sing in, a range of early music performances in her home town of Guadalajara. Wearing the hats of promoter, fundraiser, and performer, she has created the beginnings of a local audience for early music. She recently founded the Antico Ensemble, a sextet dedicated to early music. Since the festival was devoted primarily to 19th- and 20th-century art song and opera, most students ﬁrst attended the early music classes out of curiosity or because they heard from others that something new and interesting was afoot. Word spread quickly that the lessons and ensembles were challenging and rewarding, and in the end the program was swamped with students. By the time of the student recital in the third week of the festival, most of the students were prepared to sing at least one solo song, and many had a duo or trio as well. The students brought an impressive work ethic to their early music studies. Even those with some deﬁciencies in their training were an inspiration to us, because they simply would not give up until a new piece or skill was learned. Faculty and students both sensed an opportunity was at hand, and made the most of it. Ars Vocalis has a real commitment to outreach, and they have sent early music Continued on page 70

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Early Music America Spring 2013

Editor's Note
Reader Forum
Sound Bytes
Profile: Peter Nothnagle Early Music Engineer
Musings: Best of the Year
Recording Reviews
"Skillful Singing" and the Prelude in Renaissance Italy
Almira: Handel's Fountain of Youth?
Tempesta di Mare: Making a Splash with Fasch
2013 Guide: Workshops & Festivals
What I Did at Summer Camp
Book Reviews
Ad Index
In Conclusion: Teaching Recitative in Mexico

Early Music America Spring 2013