何塞•罗梅罗

何塞•罗梅罗

的 Music Plays On: 澳门金沙注册 Alum Continues 他的 Rise in Opera Despite Global 流感大流行

麦肯齐·莱克(McKenzie Lakey)著

的 hustle and bustle of 阿姆斯特丹 played out behind 澳门金沙注册 alum Jose Simerilla Romero as several masked figures walked around him, huddled in light jackets as the 夏天的空气在傍晚变成了寒冷的秋天. 在这短暂的 reprieve in his busy rehearsal schedule for the Dutch National Opera, Jose reflected 在过去的一年里,戏剧界充满了曲折, 因为娱乐行业受到COVID-19的冲击.

But little did Jose know what 2020 would hold, in spite of a chaotic audition in New York, filled with flat tires and stolen luggage, followed by a historical global pandemic, nothing could stand in the way of him and the next big step in his career as an opera 男高音.

选拔赛

上气不接下气地跑过纽约城,何塞知道只有几分钟 of performance time stood between him and an opportunity to share his talent internationally 与世界顶级歌剧公司之一合作.

虽然在最近的一次旅行后,一开始对移居海外犹豫不决 performances, a friend convinced Jose to audition for a chance to join an opera company 2020-2021赛季在柏林、慕尼黑或都灵(意大利)举行. 经过简短的讨论, 何塞决定试一试,从他佛罗里达的家乡跳上了一架飞机 在一月中旬匆匆赶到纽约.

然而,他一到达就很快意识到他的胜算不大. 他的 performance shoes were stolen along with his luggage, and with no time to spare, he threw on his sneakers, hailed an Uber, and made his way across town to the audition. 但随着旅程的展开,何塞的日子即将到来 在他意识到之前,他的优步车爆胎了.

In his dress clothes and sneakers, he got out of the car and helped his driver change the tire, chilling his voice and leaving him in an undesirably cold environment on 在纽约的路边,就在他重要的试镜之前. 有磨损的 nerves, a cold voice and no dress shoes, Jose finally arrived at the venue with just 有足够的时间跑过大门,被叫到舞台上.

“试镜前我很不自信,”何塞说. “我的鞋子被偷了 我又脏又汗,声音也不暖和,还得跑上三层楼 去试镜的楼梯. 我是一团糟.”

But as he got on stage and gave it his all, he began to feel that something may have 终于开始向右走了. 试唱了几分钟后,何塞注意到了这一点 有人拿出她的手机去录他的表演.

幸运的是,他还有一次机会让观众眼花缭乱. 在短暂的喘息之后 后台,还有一位不知名的“天使”给他沏茶,帮他控制 带着焦虑,他再次走上舞台.

在那之后,一切都结束了.

何塞不知道他是否已经通过了最后一关. 他不知道几率是否 working against him that morning had left him short of achieving a position with one of the three companies auditioning performers that day, and he didn’t know what the 未来在等着他. 于是他飞回家等待. 等. 后 几个星期过去了,他开始接受也许他没有被录取的事实.

“如果你给自己机会去表演,最糟糕的事情就是 我能做的就是说不,”何塞说. “那里有很多歌手,就像那里一样 几个品牌,有时人们不喜欢你的产品. 你不能接受 就我个人而言.”

Just as he was moving on and making other plans, a call finally came, but not from 柏林、慕尼黑或都灵. 取而代之的是第四家公司的代表 in the audience that day in New York, and, as it turned out, that rep, from the Dutch 国家歌剧院,很喜欢他.

职业生涯的开始

出生于阿根廷,移居美国前住在西班牙.S. 六岁时, 何塞很早就接触到歌剧. 与欧洲伟人的声音,如Plácido 多明戈和帕瓦罗蒂挤满了他的家,何塞的音乐天赋得到了激发 by nothing more than a passion for singing and the joy 的歌剧 that his father instilled 在他. 虽然他似乎注定要从事艺术事业,但他的目标却没有实现 attending 澳门金沙注册 as a dual enrollment student was to become a graphic designer.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I always played piano by ear and would sing 为了好玩,”何塞说. “金沙注册就像是一个发射台. 年轻的歌手进来了 看看这是不是他们想做的事情,这就是我开始的地方.”

It was at Valencia that Jose crossed paths with adjunct music professor Juan Martinez. 马丁内斯和音乐系的其他几位教授就是其中之一 是第一批在支持何塞的家庭之外认识到他才华的人. 的 Valencia instructors soon realized there was so much more to Jose than just his voice, 他们注意到了他身上的火花和野心.

“He understood very early that to be successful in this career you have to not only 要成为一名优秀的歌手,你需要成为一名优秀的音乐家和一名优秀的演员。. “他天生就有一副好嗓子,我所做的就是教他唱歌.”

Throughout his studies at Valencia, Jose would learn to read music, learn his singing scales and begin to master performing in five languages: English, Italian, German, 法语和西班牙语.

“I challenged him and demanded more of him because I knew he would go far,” Martinez 回忆. “当你种下这颗种子并浇水时,就会呼吸到一点新鲜空气 it and see the fruit grow … I’m proud that I could contribute even a small fraction 为他的成长和事业干杯.”

Building on the foundation of his musical education roots from Valencia, Jose decided to expand upon his learning and pursued his bachelor’s degree at Stetson University. While there, the opportunity of a lifetime happened, and one of the legendary voices 曾经充满他童年家园的那个人亲自要求他试镜 在全国青年艺术家项目中澳门金沙注册一个令人垂涎的职位.

Plácido Domingo had recognized Jose’s talent from his own “Operalia”, an international 歌剧比赛,并要求他的侄子打电话给何塞亲自说服他 audition for the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artists Residency Program at the LA Opera. Soon he was faced with a tough decision: Should he continue his education in person 要么在斯泰森大学(Stetson University)学习,要么在活着的时候完成学业 在洛杉矶?

“我只是流口水,”何塞回忆说. “我只是一个自学成才的20岁孩子 how to sing through his dad’s CDs and I got this position alongside people who have 完成硕士学位.”

的 conservatory opportunity was something that even veteran opera singers would envy, but halfway into the program Jose realized that being a “rising star” within the community placed him directly into a spotlight – one he believed he was “too young and inexperienced” 在当时处理.

的 pressure mounted on the young performer halfway into the three-year program, and not wanting to create a bad impression in the group that had welcomed him so warmly, he decided to bow out and focus on building his career until he felt that he was ready 重新投入到如此紧张的角色中.

But stepping out of the spotlight didn’t mean Jose was taking a backseat in the world 的歌剧. 相反,从那以后,他一直在努力调整自己在其他地方的技能, 他的声音带着他走遍了世界. 在过去的几年里,何塞表现出色 从科罗拉多州的阿斯彭开始.到奥地利的维也纳,以及卡内基等著名场所 和纽约的林肯中心. 回顾这一切,每一个决定都导致 在他们的指导下,他来到了现在的位置,在 阿姆斯特丹.

演出必须继续

的 Dutch National Opera Studio, the young artists program that Jose has been accepted 该项目于两年前的2018年在阿姆斯特丹启动. 该组织由国际组织领导 著名女高音罗斯玛丽·约书亚担任艺术领袖.

Jose is one of eight international talents currently in the Studio program, working 尽管2019冠状病毒病(COVID-19)肆虐,但他仍在努力建立自己的职业生涯,成长为一名表演者 它对表演艺术造成了无情的伤害.

Funded partially by a scholarship from the New York Opera 基金会 to continue his studies with the Dutch National Opera Studio, Jose acknowledged that the program is 紧张,但将填补他的日程安排有足够的时间来磨练他的手艺 明年.

“资金是最薄弱的环节,”何塞说. "这次试镜最大的收获是, performances and opportunities is the connection you get with others in the industry.”

Jose would be the first to tell you that, as with all careers in entertainment, there 一路上会有高潮和低谷吗. 然而,没有人能够预测到严酷 全球流行病对该行业的影响. 随着COVID-19继续肆虐 eviscerate the arts and entertainment industry, Jose has managed to find a lucky break 在大流行期间他在演播室的职位.

“的 coronavirus cancelled everything, and a lot of my friends are in a position of 不知道该做什么,不知道如何支付账单,”何塞说. “我数 我每天都在祝福我有这个机会.”

学生的故事

金沙注册学院,我们每天都在努力为大学创造一个公平的竞争环境 各种背景的学生,打造一所每个学生都能成功的大学. 我们的学生不断给我们带来惊喜. 阅读更多他们的故事.