Cecy: Recording Artist, Opera singer with specializations in Chant, Baroque, Mariachi, & Contemporary works, Immigration story, returned to college later in life; Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music

WEBVTT
00:00:01.500 --> 00:00:04.080
Thank you for joining us today on Paths in Progress.
00:00:04.379 --> 00:00:05.910
I'm your host Carrie Young.
00:00:06.450 --> 00:00:19.859
On this podcast, people in a variety of career fields, talk about their journey from choosing their college, deciding which majors and minors to pursue, their first jobs out of college and all of the hurdles, detours and victories along their path through today.
00:00:20.429 --> 00:00:27.870
Our goal is to help students hear about a variety of exciting opportunities out there and understand what day-to-day life is like in these careers.
00:00:28.730 --> 00:00:31.190
I hope you enjoy and learn from our story today.
00:00:31.429 --> 00:00:32.359
Thanks for listening.
00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:35.170
Hi, everyone.
00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:36.759
Thanks for joining us today.
00:00:36.789 --> 00:00:38.659
We are here with Cecy.
00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:46.780
I'm just so excited for this cause Cecy has such a cool story and she always has incredible projects going on and exciting things ahead.
00:00:46.829 --> 00:00:48.030
So Cecy welcome.
00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:49.380
Thanks for joining us today.
00:00:49.740 --> 00:00:50.969
Thank you for inviting me.
00:00:51.020 --> 00:01:14.090
So Cecy, if we can start by going back to your childhood and teenage years and just tell us how your story begins and how you as a teenager were thinking ahead to your education and your career path and what influenced you and what helped you decide what direction you wanted to move in.
00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:14.935
All right.
00:01:14.935 --> 00:01:19.105
So I was born in Chihuahua, Mexico.
00:01:19.474 --> 00:01:22.504
I grew up in a musical family.
00:01:22.504 --> 00:01:26.105
Everybody in my family either sing, played the guitar.
00:01:26.555 --> 00:01:29.435
My grandparents were classical musicians.
00:01:29.775 --> 00:01:39.704
On the other side, my grandfather was an opera singer and an actor, and he worked in radio for many, many years.
00:01:40.094 --> 00:01:42.375
So I was always surrounded by music.
00:01:43.424 --> 00:01:46.844
Of all kinds, not just classical music.
00:01:47.224 --> 00:01:55.534
I mainly grew up listening to my mom singing beautiful Latin American songs of the the 1940s and 1950s.
00:01:55.564 --> 00:01:56.015
Beautiful.
00:01:56.015 --> 00:02:00.454
I call them Latin American art songs because that's the way I see them.
00:02:00.454 --> 00:02:01.444
They're beautiful.
00:02:01.444 --> 00:02:06.064
And so she used to sing that and you know, to me, it was like the most normal thing.
00:02:06.064 --> 00:02:21.034
I wasn't necessarily loved with all the music I listen to when I was little, but there was always music and singing and you know, my family is, music unites us like every time we get together, we sing.
00:02:21.245 --> 00:02:22.504
There must be singing.
00:02:22.895 --> 00:02:23.585
I love that.
00:02:24.574 --> 00:02:35.675
And so when I was 15, I joined the local musical theater company in Chihuahua, and this was not a professional company.
00:02:35.705 --> 00:02:39.455
However, I learned to work like the professionals do.
00:02:39.455 --> 00:02:41.895
Our director was, trained in the United States.
00:02:41.895 --> 00:02:44.935
And so, I think I know how to work, thanks to him.
00:02:45.275 --> 00:02:49.985
He gave me a lot of discipline and work ethic stuff.
00:02:50.014 --> 00:02:53.585
And so I was very young and I was already like very into it.
00:02:53.615 --> 00:02:54.754
It's funny that you asked me.
00:02:54.875 --> 00:03:01.444
So when you were in high school, I looking ahead, I wasn't looking ahead at all, actually.
00:03:01.555 --> 00:03:04.074
I wasn't even thinking about what I wanted to do.
00:03:04.574 --> 00:03:08.775
This was actually a very common thing amongst people my age.
00:03:08.884 --> 00:03:16.384
Things don't work the same way there, at least back in the day when I was in high school.
00:03:16.594 --> 00:03:21.004
So when I graduated high school, I was like, okay, what should I do?
00:03:21.805 --> 00:03:24.025
And so I thought, why not do music?
00:03:24.085 --> 00:03:24.414
Right.
00:03:24.444 --> 00:03:29.664
And I didn't know what kind of music, I didn't know.
00:03:29.844 --> 00:03:31.074
Why did I like singing?
00:03:31.074 --> 00:03:33.594
I just knew I liked singing and I knew I liked music.
00:03:33.694 --> 00:03:39.544
So I had my eldest brother, back then, he was living in Guadalajara.
00:03:40.324 --> 00:03:47.344
So I moved from Chihuahua to Guadalajara and I lived with him and his wife for a little bit.
00:03:47.645 --> 00:03:49.625
And I started college.
00:03:49.655 --> 00:03:58.294
I went to the school of sacred music where, you know, it was like all about oratorio, a lot of Gregorian chant.
00:03:58.775 --> 00:03:59.134
Oh, wow.
00:03:59.164 --> 00:04:01.384
And yeah, it was, it was very cool.
00:04:01.715 --> 00:04:04.835
However, I didn't necessarily have like a voice teacher.
00:04:05.585 --> 00:04:08.365
It was a lot of like choral singing and it was great.
00:04:08.745 --> 00:04:11.625
I was there for a year and a half and then I dropped out.
00:04:12.405 --> 00:04:14.764
I wasn't super happy with it.
00:04:14.764 --> 00:04:19.384
And I think all the adjustment, of like suddenly being by myself and things.
00:04:19.384 --> 00:04:22.084
I wasn't really prepared for all of those changes.
00:04:22.774 --> 00:04:41.735
Just listening to this, I think what will probably strike students a lot is, nowadays there's so much pressure on students to figure things out really early and like cram all this preparation in before you graduate from high school and have it all figured out, as soon as possible.
00:04:41.735 --> 00:04:53.754
So as you've watched some of these students, cause you've been in school, we'll get to that part of your story a little bit, but you know, you've been, watching some students who came out of a different climate that's, more like what it is now.
00:04:54.144 --> 00:04:54.295
Yeah.
00:04:54.855 --> 00:04:58.305
What has struck you about that with your own experience?
00:04:58.305 --> 00:05:00.254
Cause I'm sure there's probably positive and negatives.
00:05:00.254 --> 00:05:00.495
I'm sure.
00:05:00.495 --> 00:05:14.774
Part of you feels like, well, I wish I had a little more preparation, but also it seems like you didn't have to go through this incredible, like stressful anxiety of people putting pressure on you, really early to like figure it out, come on, pick something now, you know what I mean?
00:05:14.995 --> 00:05:18.615
How has that struck you at all when you've watched that, versus your own experience?
00:05:18.795 --> 00:05:25.694
Yeah, I definitely, I think, I was very independent and I had a lot of courage.
00:05:25.725 --> 00:05:35.464
I was brave in the sense that, okay, I have this big challenge and I'm going to do it, like I had the drive to go through whatever life was putting my way.
00:05:35.764 --> 00:05:38.225
So it's very like innately internal for you.
00:05:38.285 --> 00:05:38.975
You just had it.
00:05:39.064 --> 00:05:39.245
Yeah.
00:05:39.454 --> 00:05:40.564
Yeah, definitely.
00:05:40.985 --> 00:05:43.535
However, I think I was still pretty immature.
00:05:43.564 --> 00:05:46.264
This is just like the situation I was living in, right?
00:05:46.264 --> 00:05:53.535
It's not about blaming anybody or, but there was like, not enough emotional growth on my part.
00:05:53.535 --> 00:05:57.144
I think I still needed to like understand and mature.
00:05:57.384 --> 00:06:04.454
And when we get to that part, when I went back to college, one of the biggest things for me was time management.
00:06:04.785 --> 00:06:16.915
I think that's a very important thing because that's something I see now, living in the United States, and see how teenagers work and how their days are ridiculously full with activities and things to do.
00:06:17.314 --> 00:06:21.595
I was allowed to get bored and get creative and have downtime.
00:06:21.654 --> 00:06:28.404
And so now I think is like, do this and then do swimming and then do other sport and then join the band and then do this.
00:06:28.435 --> 00:06:41.675
And so by the time people go to college, their lives have been organized by not just their moms or dads, but many people around them that is like, oh, suddenly I am in charge of my time.
00:06:41.675 --> 00:06:49.444
And it's hard because I don't think a lot of people learn what to do with their time and how to manage it, you know?
00:06:49.625 --> 00:06:52.654
And so I think a lot of the stress and anxiety comes from that.
00:06:53.165 --> 00:06:59.274
Of suddenly being by yourself and not knowing what to do and how to be proactive with your day.
00:06:59.855 --> 00:07:05.745
So that's something you feel like you didn't have that experience because you did have the opportunity to have downtime to yourself.
00:07:05.995 --> 00:07:08.805
Do you feel like you knew what to do with that?
00:07:09.995 --> 00:07:11.045
I think I did.
00:07:11.045 --> 00:07:11.435
Yeah.
00:07:11.464 --> 00:07:23.845
I was very dedicated when I was in school and with the stuff I had to do, however, it wasn't really fulfilling and I think it happened to me because I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do.
00:07:24.699 --> 00:07:29.939
I knew I wanted to do music, but I think I always felt like I was in the wrong place.
00:07:30.339 --> 00:07:41.079
I think it was also lack of options and lack of access to information as to the kind of things I could do.
00:07:41.550 --> 00:07:51.175
I mean, I don't care telling my age, but when I graduated high school, email had just started to appear.
00:07:51.834 --> 00:08:00.884
So like, you know, so internet was not like, oh yeah, I'll go to a computer and check, what are other things I can do depending on what I liked.
00:08:00.935 --> 00:08:04.644
It was just like, oh, I know of a conservatory in the city, so I'll go there.
00:08:05.069 --> 00:08:10.319
There wasn't really a way to know exactly where you were going and how things worked.
00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:15.990
What do you feel like you did get out of that school that you went to when you lived with your brother?
00:08:15.990 --> 00:08:19.529
Were there things that you feel like you did take away from that, that you're thankful for?
00:08:20.314 --> 00:08:21.305
Oh, yeah, definitely.
00:08:21.305 --> 00:08:23.915
I think my, and this might sound silly to somebody.
00:08:23.915 --> 00:08:25.524
It was my chant training.
00:08:25.904 --> 00:08:28.754
My dad, before he met my mom, he was in the seminary.
00:08:29.084 --> 00:08:43.034
And so I have with me, one of his precious memories is he had, what they call the liber usualis, which is like the big book where seminary students used to read music from.
00:08:43.184 --> 00:08:45.345
And it's in the Gregorian chant notation.
00:08:45.914 --> 00:08:58.335
And so I had to use it in my school and I had a class specifically for reading chant and it was one of my favorite classes because I learned all this music and I was just so happy that I was very good at reading chant.
00:08:58.355 --> 00:08:58.745
Right.
00:08:58.745 --> 00:09:00.355
And knowing how to sing it.
00:09:00.684 --> 00:09:10.865
To the day is one of the most great things that I learned there that I really got to be very good at, because it's serving me now.
00:09:10.894 --> 00:09:17.195
I mean, I realized that that's something I really like singing is one of the things I really love doing.
00:09:17.595 --> 00:09:22.725
I'm creating projects that involve chant and I love it.
00:09:22.965 --> 00:09:26.115
So, yeah, so it wasn't time wasted.
00:09:26.144 --> 00:09:26.865
Of course.
00:09:27.315 --> 00:09:34.485
So as soon as I drop out, I auditioned for the state choir, which was a professional choir.
00:09:34.725 --> 00:09:38.715
And, you know, that big choir was like the opera chorus.
00:09:38.835 --> 00:09:40.105
The symphony chorus.
00:09:40.125 --> 00:09:41.384
Like we were everywhere.
00:09:41.634 --> 00:09:44.904
Anybody could use that group for whatever.
00:09:45.445 --> 00:09:46.465
And back then.
00:09:47.575 --> 00:09:54.585
The director was an American retired tenor that, lived there with his wife.
00:09:54.945 --> 00:09:55.394
Dr.
00:09:55.394 --> 00:09:57.705
Harlan Snow, rest in peace.
00:09:57.705 --> 00:10:00.024
So he became my private voice teacher.
00:10:00.105 --> 00:10:03.764
And he started giving me my first voice lessons.
00:10:04.034 --> 00:10:05.325
I was around 20.
00:10:05.414 --> 00:10:13.914
So I know people now start their voice lessons since they were 13 or 14 and I was just 20 and I was like, okay, I like singing, can you teach me something?
00:10:14.605 --> 00:10:16.014
So he did.
00:10:16.014 --> 00:10:21.995
And I actually started one of the first things he gave me was, a Bach aria.
00:10:22.865 --> 00:10:27.995
As soon as I started preparing it and learning it, I was like, oh my goodness, this feels so good.
00:10:29.014 --> 00:10:30.335
I really love this music.
00:10:30.365 --> 00:10:34.674
And I knew that I was always drawn to oratorios and sacred music.
00:10:34.705 --> 00:10:39.595
That's that's also why I felt like I wanted to go to that school.
00:10:40.445 --> 00:10:42.455
So it was like a confirmation, right?
00:10:42.455 --> 00:10:44.644
That it was something I really wanted to do.
00:10:45.304 --> 00:10:47.465
And I just kept learning music.
00:10:47.565 --> 00:10:57.789
I was very resistant to singing any opera arias because I was in the beginning of my singing and learning technique.
00:10:57.789 --> 00:11:00.850
And I didn't feel like my voice was that big.
00:11:01.419 --> 00:11:05.649
So I always refused every time he tried to give me something.
00:11:05.649 --> 00:11:07.360
I was like, no, no, no, give me songs.
00:11:08.259 --> 00:11:08.860
Songs.
00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:18.590
Which is so funny because we encounter so many young people who want to sing these massive Arias, you know, when they're like 15 and you have to be like, hold on, honey, just hold on just a minute.
00:11:19.429 --> 00:11:22.700
And in my case, it's totally the opposite, I just didn't.
00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:24.080
Yeah.
00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:25.250
I just didn't want it to do it.
00:11:25.429 --> 00:11:26.480
It's smart really.
00:11:26.570 --> 00:11:29.139
I mean, I think so, you know, cause I believe in that too.
00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:32.769
And you know, because he was also the director and we were the opera chorus.
00:11:32.899 --> 00:11:39.980
So my first opera that I sang ever was Madame Butterfly, and we were in the chorus and that was my first one.
00:11:40.340 --> 00:11:41.090
And it was great.
00:11:41.750 --> 00:11:42.110
Yeah.
00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:43.299
Yeah.
00:11:43.309 --> 00:11:44.539
And it was so much fun.
00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:50.730
And, we have one of the most beautiful theaters in Mexico is Teatro Degollado theater in Guadalajara.
00:11:50.830 --> 00:11:53.220
And so it was just a beautiful experience.
00:11:53.970 --> 00:11:57.059
So I was there for a few years as part of the chorus.
00:11:57.059 --> 00:12:05.610
And because of all his connections, he used to bring professors from the United States to come and give us masterclasses.
00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:07.679
He would invite them for a weekend.
00:12:08.070 --> 00:12:10.259
And then like, Hey, you know, listen to my students.
00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:16.500
And then a bunch of them actually ended up like getting scholarships to come to the United States and study.
00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:22.419
And it was great because he brought a lot of great people that gave us insights.
00:12:22.750 --> 00:12:33.789
Well, but also I want to point out in talking about all of this that, you said you dropped out of the school that you were in, but I hope people are hearing that you were still studying.
00:12:33.909 --> 00:12:38.980
You were still working with the teacher, you were still learning, you were still pursuing things.
00:12:38.980 --> 00:12:43.000
So I hope that, you know, everybody's path is different.
00:12:44.195 --> 00:12:48.995
There are other ways to learn than being enrolled in an institution, right?
00:12:49.264 --> 00:13:03.304
So sometimes people can't be enrolled in an institution for a while because of finances or circumstance or whatever, but there are other ways that you can learn and you can seek those things out and still feel like you're growing and moving forward.
00:13:03.304 --> 00:13:06.394
So I just want to make sure people are hearing that in what you're saying,
00:13:07.264 --> 00:13:10.384
I'm going to add to that, that I wasn't only taking voice lessons.
00:13:10.384 --> 00:13:12.695
I actually had a theory professor.
00:13:13.634 --> 00:13:15.014
He was so awesome.
00:13:15.105 --> 00:13:16.455
He was also super cool.
00:13:16.485 --> 00:13:17.654
Like everybody liked him.
00:13:17.654 --> 00:13:32.195
And then he was so good at teaching that it was great to study with him and the best part, I know theory is not so fun, but all my goodness aural skills was the best for me.
00:13:32.205 --> 00:13:34.774
I, you know, I play, yeah.
00:13:34.804 --> 00:13:34.865
I
00:13:34.865 --> 00:13:38.945
definitely like one of the only people in the world saying this.
00:13:39.725 --> 00:13:41.855
I could just hear everyone chuckling across...
00:13:43.534 --> 00:13:45.575
You can laugh at me, yeah, like you can.
00:13:47.684 --> 00:13:50.085
I used to play like that, Carrie.
00:13:50.164 --> 00:13:55.625
When I was little and I was taking piano because I also took piano lessons when I was little and then I left it.
00:13:56.105 --> 00:13:58.144
Uh, but I used to play like that.
00:13:58.144 --> 00:14:03.544
I would go under the piano and then I would ask my cousin and say, play a note and I'll tell you what it is.
00:14:03.754 --> 00:14:07.125
And I don't have perfect pitch, but I have a very good relative pitch.
00:14:07.235 --> 00:14:09.615
And I was always on it.
00:14:10.085 --> 00:14:11.225
So that was my game.
00:14:11.254 --> 00:14:14.585
So that was like a natural thing that you just liked.
00:14:14.644 --> 00:14:14.914
Wow.
00:14:14.975 --> 00:14:15.424
That's awesome.
00:14:15.485 --> 00:14:23.465
I always love to me training the ear is one of the most precious, precious, and useful things you can have as a musician.
00:14:23.465 --> 00:14:25.024
It's like one of the best skills.
00:14:25.325 --> 00:14:26.674
Are you hearing that students?
00:14:26.674 --> 00:14:27.965
Like that is huge.
00:14:28.044 --> 00:14:29.105
If there's yes.
00:14:29.105 --> 00:14:32.534
If there's anything you're doing other than taking lessons on your instrument.
00:14:32.894 --> 00:14:33.105
Yeah.
00:14:33.134 --> 00:14:37.575
Anything you can do to help train your ear, whatever it is so helpful.
00:14:37.815 --> 00:14:40.424
If you can do some of that before you get to college.
00:14:40.634 --> 00:14:44.414
As tedious as it sounds: practice your intervals.
00:14:44.445 --> 00:14:46.424
Your intervals will save your life.
00:14:47.065 --> 00:14:57.554
And, and, you know, like, I know we'll get to it Carrie, but you know that, sometimes the person that people call last minute when they're in trouble, because I read fast.
00:14:57.884 --> 00:15:02.205
And it's thanks to learning all those intervals all the time.
00:15:03.325 --> 00:15:09.875
My sight reading got good because of my practice with aural skills and sight reading.
00:15:09.975 --> 00:15:11.174
Intervals and scales.
00:15:11.174 --> 00:15:14.985
It sounds like you may think, oh, I know all that, but do you really?
00:15:15.105 --> 00:15:20.024
Like when you're under pressure, when you have a spotlight on you, when you take a test, do you know it then?
00:15:20.304 --> 00:15:21.424
Because that's what it will be like.
00:15:21.875 --> 00:15:22.835
No, definitely.
00:15:22.835 --> 00:15:33.970
And you know, I remember, when I went back to college, I had all my friends and I felt for them, you know, cause we were in aural skills and it was like dictation time and oh my goodness.
00:15:33.970 --> 00:15:35.200
Everybody was suffering.
00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:36.870
Especially at like 8:00 AM.
00:15:36.970 --> 00:15:39.460
I mean, you know, it's hard enough as it is.
00:15:39.909 --> 00:15:46.360
But when you have to pull that out at, you know, it's 8:07 AM and it's just like, what do I have to do right now?
00:15:46.389 --> 00:15:47.139
It's just, it's hard.
00:15:47.845 --> 00:15:50.195
I can still feel the anxiety in the room.
00:15:50.254 --> 00:15:50.375
Yeah.
00:15:50.455 --> 00:15:51.695
I still feel it.
00:15:51.695 --> 00:15:53.904
I don't even want to say how many years later, but yeah.
00:15:53.934 --> 00:15:55.054
It never leaves you in a way.
00:15:56.044 --> 00:15:57.215
Uh, anyway.
00:15:57.245 --> 00:15:57.585
Yeah.
00:15:57.945 --> 00:15:58.865
Sound fun everybody?
00:16:02.075 --> 00:16:03.455
Hey, we're laughing about it now.
00:16:03.664 --> 00:16:04.504
We are, we are.
00:16:04.595 --> 00:16:09.345
And also emphasizing how important it is, and you just emphasized how much you loved it as a young person.
00:16:09.345 --> 00:16:10.965
So yeah, there are positives.
00:16:11.384 --> 00:16:11.595
Yeah.
00:16:11.654 --> 00:16:11.894
Yeah.
00:16:11.894 --> 00:16:19.975
One of the great things that our director in the chorus did was that to warm up, he would give us like Bach chorales, for us to sight read.
00:16:20.335 --> 00:16:21.095
It was great.
00:16:21.394 --> 00:16:23.434
It was also like another fun thing to do.
00:16:23.865 --> 00:16:25.715
So, I was there for eight years.
00:16:26.014 --> 00:16:28.904
At some point I actually quit the chorus.
00:16:29.595 --> 00:16:31.154
I didn't want to be there anymore.
00:16:31.924 --> 00:16:37.205
I was on my own and I used to make a living, singing weddings on the weekends.
00:16:37.284 --> 00:16:38.215
It was tough.
00:16:38.544 --> 00:16:47.424
The choral activities is quite big, especially when it comes to singing in events and weddings, and religious services.
00:16:48.085 --> 00:16:50.544
The weekends can be filled with work.
00:16:50.595 --> 00:16:59.174
Like it's Saturday and suddenly you have four or five weddings to sing in, you know, from, from noon or starting at 10:00 AM or whatever until night.
00:16:59.654 --> 00:17:05.345
And you go through all the city, singing in different churches, with different choirs and it's great.
00:17:05.424 --> 00:17:08.394
You make your money mostly through the weekends.
00:17:08.795 --> 00:17:24.394
But you know, of course there was always that feeling of, I'm not doing enough, or I'm not doing stuff that I really would like to do, although I don't know what thing I would really, really like to do, but I know this is not it.
00:17:25.355 --> 00:17:32.825
So, thanks to my voice teacher, one of the professors that came to listen to us, was Dr.
00:17:32.825 --> 00:17:36.095
Joyce Farwell who used to teach at Rice university back then.
00:17:36.555 --> 00:17:39.345
She's like one of the most wonderful people I've ever met.
00:17:39.855 --> 00:17:41.595
If she hears this, hello, Dr.
00:17:41.595 --> 00:17:43.154
Farwell, I love you.
00:17:43.414 --> 00:17:54.375
She was so amazing, and loving and, she came down and she said, well, if you want to come to Houston, you can be part of my studio and, we'll figure things out.
00:17:55.244 --> 00:17:56.474
So I did.
00:17:56.755 --> 00:18:03.115
That's when I decided jump and say, you know, like I want to do something different.
00:18:03.535 --> 00:18:04.434
That's a big decision.
00:18:04.855 --> 00:18:05.545
It is.
00:18:05.605 --> 00:18:06.174
Yeah.
00:18:06.204 --> 00:18:06.505
Yeah.
00:18:06.535 --> 00:18:12.065
But I think the situation was such that I didn't think anything different could happen there.
00:18:12.634 --> 00:18:15.325
And I am not a person that usually looks back.
00:18:15.325 --> 00:18:21.924
So going back to Chihuahua was not an option because I also knew that I wasn't going to find much there either.
00:18:22.434 --> 00:18:25.134
I think a lot of people can relate to that.
00:18:25.174 --> 00:18:31.605
You know, as much as you can love your hometown, a lot of people get that itch at some point.
00:18:31.634 --> 00:18:33.224
Like, I need to go somewhere new.
00:18:33.275 --> 00:18:36.035
Whether it's for something specific or just to get a fresh start.
00:18:36.035 --> 00:18:37.775
I think a lot of people can relate to that.
00:18:37.775 --> 00:18:40.055
Like, it's time, it's just time, right?
00:18:40.085 --> 00:18:40.744
To go somewhere else.
00:18:41.105 --> 00:18:41.525
Yeah.
00:18:41.674 --> 00:18:46.234
And, and that feeling was like really, really strong for me.
00:18:47.055 --> 00:18:48.904
Because I just had that certainty.
00:18:48.934 --> 00:19:00.305
I had a lot of uncertainty about my life and the future, but I had a lot of certainty in the sense that I knew that things were not going to happen there for me.
00:19:00.994 --> 00:19:06.384
So that was my end of my years, my life in Mexico in general.
00:19:06.434 --> 00:19:12.045
I have been away from my hometown for more than half of my life now.
00:19:12.105 --> 00:19:12.795
Wow.
00:19:13.595 --> 00:19:15.275
That's quite crazy.
00:19:15.275 --> 00:19:24.775
Back then I was married to another singer and we both met in Guadalajara and dated and got married there.
00:19:25.055 --> 00:19:27.845
He was also another singer that became part of Dr.
00:19:27.845 --> 00:19:31.234
Farwell studio, so we both came to Houston.
00:19:31.545 --> 00:19:32.835
He is Mexican-American.
00:19:33.105 --> 00:19:38.505
And so it was thanks to him that I could start my immigration process.
00:19:39.015 --> 00:19:43.825
I applied for my green card, through being married to an American man.
00:19:44.234 --> 00:19:47.775
I waited seven months for my green card.
00:19:48.144 --> 00:19:51.795
The process started once we both got here to Houston.
00:19:52.515 --> 00:19:58.095
That started also a journey of a lot of learning about immigration.
00:19:58.365 --> 00:20:07.275
Because I realized that every single case, every single person goes through a different immigration process.
00:20:07.664 --> 00:20:25.234
It all has to do with, if you're applying through a marriage, if you are applying because your job, your workplace is doing it for you, or because you are an extremely talented person or you're a student, there's so many varieties of situations.
00:20:25.994 --> 00:20:31.005
We didn't have the money to pay for a lawyer that could take care of all this process.
00:20:31.315 --> 00:20:35.964
As soon as we got here to Houston, my first job was at a church.
00:20:37.015 --> 00:20:37.615
Singing.
00:20:37.944 --> 00:20:41.884
And that was my, I think my first big culture shock.
00:20:43.384 --> 00:20:49.045
It was a positive one this was Palmer Episcopal, and it's like one of the best choirs ever.
00:20:49.974 --> 00:20:50.785
I will say that.
00:20:51.325 --> 00:20:51.954
I loved it.
00:20:52.164 --> 00:20:57.674
I worked there for a full 10 years because I was so much in love with the music, and the people.
00:20:58.214 --> 00:21:01.005
So that was like the first job.
00:21:01.035 --> 00:21:08.595
My big first surprise when coming to this country was the fact that I went and auditioned for this man.
00:21:09.194 --> 00:21:12.255
And he immediately took me in because he heard me singing.
00:21:13.005 --> 00:21:26.134
And I came from a place where there was a lot of unhealthy competition and places where it wasn't necessarily your talent or your hard work that could take you places.
00:21:27.275 --> 00:21:32.714
And, it pains me to say things like that because I don't think that's always the case.
00:21:32.724 --> 00:21:36.204
I don't know, but that was my experience.
00:21:36.204 --> 00:21:37.795
And it was, it was painful.
00:21:38.065 --> 00:21:41.365
Well in the arts, I think we see a wide variety of that, right?
00:21:41.365 --> 00:21:46.734
Because there's some people who are so naturally talented, it seems like things are so easy for them.
00:21:46.765 --> 00:21:50.035
Things just come to them, they got a lot of opportunity.
00:21:50.035 --> 00:21:56.335
And then there are people working their tails off and feel like they're never getting anywhere.
00:21:56.335 --> 00:21:56.694
Right.
00:21:56.694 --> 00:22:07.944
So I think the spectrum of that is so wide and I'm sure a lot of people listening relate to that, to some degree, cause there are lots of things in the arts that you feel like you can work really hard at.
00:22:07.944 --> 00:22:21.894
And you never know what's behind closed doors, but sometimes it seems like, there's some people who just waltz in with very little work and get the gig or get the project or get the contract and you feel like, oh my gosh, I just put in so much of myself into this for nothing.
00:22:22.825 --> 00:22:39.714
And that and that's something I think I want to touch on for later, when I go more into my professional career here, but you know, those beginnings to me, where it was just very surprising to see, oh, you want to take me because you like my work.
00:22:39.954 --> 00:22:40.434
Okay.
00:22:40.765 --> 00:22:41.605
That's different.
00:22:41.944 --> 00:22:51.650
While we were waiting for my green card to arrive, we apply for both a green card and a working permit because you don't know what will you get first?
00:22:52.109 --> 00:22:58.680
We precisely went through with an immigration lawyer and I said, we don't have money.
00:22:58.950 --> 00:23:00.329
Tell me what I have to do.
00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:11.069
And so he made a wonderful list, you will need this form and this form and this form and this amount of photos, and this form will cost this and this and this and this.
00:23:11.309 --> 00:23:15.180
And then you have to put it all in a big envelope and then put it in the mail.
00:23:15.980 --> 00:23:17.480
And that's exactly what I did.
00:23:17.569 --> 00:23:32.295
And I think I was very brave, but I was also very naive because when you do that, there's so many rules and if you make one mistake, you will lose your money, and you have to start over.
00:23:32.744 --> 00:23:33.255
Oh my gosh.
00:23:33.335 --> 00:23:50.535
That's why I say I was naive because I was just like, okay, I'm just going to read very carefully, all the instructions and I'm going to do exactly what they say and I did, but at the same time, this is stuff that lawyers do for you because it's very stressful, you know, you're just the pressure, right?
00:23:50.615 --> 00:23:53.404
It was not a long process because it was only seven months.
00:23:53.404 --> 00:23:59.904
And even though it might seem a lot of time, people wait for years sometimes.
00:24:00.394 --> 00:24:03.154
My experience was a very fortunate one.
00:24:03.275 --> 00:24:06.934
And, that taught me, immigration is not a black and white issue.
00:24:07.394 --> 00:24:09.674
It's not like, oh yeah, this is true.
00:24:09.704 --> 00:24:10.515
This should be done.
00:24:10.545 --> 00:24:13.394
No, because everybody, every case is different.
00:24:13.394 --> 00:24:20.375
And if you go through it, you will realize how extremely difficult it is to understand.
00:24:20.375 --> 00:24:25.535
I had to bump in and talk to a lot of people in the offices.
00:24:25.785 --> 00:24:30.015
Some of them were the kindest souls and some of them were horrible.
00:24:30.674 --> 00:24:32.954
And I will say it like that because that's what you encounter.
00:24:33.555 --> 00:24:40.984
And I knew how to communicate myself in English, but I wasn't necessarily the most fluent person.
00:24:41.255 --> 00:24:48.095
And it gave me so much anxiety to talk to someone on the phone because I couldn't see their lips.
00:24:48.724 --> 00:24:51.154
And I mean, it is tough.
00:24:52.025 --> 00:24:56.315
And when you go through an immigration process, that means that you're new in this country, right?
00:24:56.345 --> 00:25:06.055
And so there's not a lot of compassion from a lot of people and then some others are wonderful and friendly.
00:25:06.625 --> 00:25:12.805
Anyway, I got my permit and as soon as I got it, I auditioned for the Houston Grand Opera chorus, and I got in.
00:25:14.954 --> 00:25:16.164
And it was just amazing.
00:25:16.164 --> 00:25:20.404
That's where my Houston journey started to gain speed.
00:25:20.704 --> 00:25:22.115
And also Opera to Go, right?
00:25:22.144 --> 00:25:24.005
Can we pivot to Opera to Go for a minute?
00:25:24.005 --> 00:25:34.444
Because that's something that, particularly for students in the arts, there is a whole career path potentially in community outreach.
00:25:34.444 --> 00:25:39.845
And that can look a lot of different ways with a symphony, with an opera company, with a ballet company, with a theater.
00:25:40.325 --> 00:25:46.595
There is a whole bunch of people that spend their lives bringing arts to students, to young students.
00:25:46.595 --> 00:25:51.095
And probably a lot of people listening can remember some type of exposure they had, right.
00:25:51.095 --> 00:25:58.795
Either a field trip or somebody came to your school or your parents took you to a community amphitheater outside or, another theater.
00:25:58.845 --> 00:26:10.325
So I wanted to talk a little bit about that just to highlight that part of your career, but also just the importance of that in our communities and also the possibility for career paths in that area.
00:26:10.924 --> 00:26:11.585
Definitely.
00:26:11.585 --> 00:26:11.884
Yeah.
00:26:11.884 --> 00:26:18.184
So after I joined the HGO chorus, I started working for their outreach department.
00:26:18.785 --> 00:26:24.414
They manage what's called opera to go, which is a concept of bringing opera for kids.
00:26:24.444 --> 00:26:34.734
They make reductions of 45 minute operas translated into English and we traveled in a van with a set and our costumes.
00:26:34.734 --> 00:26:47.454
And then you go to a school, you go to their cafeteria or their gym, put the set on, put your costume on, perform for the kids for 45 minutes and then leave and go to another school and repeat.....
00:26:48.144 --> 00:26:49.164
until you're dead.
00:26:52.525 --> 00:26:53.875
Or no, just quite tired.
00:26:54.359 --> 00:26:56.519
Because of course you're performing for kids, right?
00:26:56.519 --> 00:26:58.230
So high energy is a must.
00:26:58.470 --> 00:27:00.839
The energy is incredibly important.
00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:01.200
Yeah.
00:27:01.559 --> 00:27:02.910
And I am not a morning person.
00:27:02.910 --> 00:27:06.299
So that's when my acting skills came to the rescue.
00:27:08.519 --> 00:27:15.690
But that's another family because you're with the same, what six people for like the whole day, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
00:27:16.289 --> 00:27:20.670
So I did that for three full years, performing for Opera to Go.
00:27:20.670 --> 00:27:30.359
It was amazing, you know, most of the time, like when you realize dang, like you're giving kids their first opera experience.
00:27:30.690 --> 00:27:36.940
Something that probably otherwise they would not experience in their lives, but now they are.
00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:41.380
And they see you looking like them, you know?
00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:42.700
Oh, that person looks like me.
00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:44.339
That means I can also do that..
00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:49.309
You know, so it's just like planting a seed, showing them that opera is fun.
00:27:49.730 --> 00:27:53.720
And it was just very rewarding years, in every way.
00:27:53.720 --> 00:27:56.029
It's not just because of what we're doing.
00:27:56.029 --> 00:28:08.019
Like we're actually reaching out and getting to new audiences, young audiences, and also to put into practice, your versatility as an artist.
00:28:08.289 --> 00:28:13.390
It's not like, oh no, I only sing in big stages with big companies.
00:28:14.140 --> 00:28:18.009
Like, you know, a lot of times you don't even really know what the space is until you get there, right?
00:28:18.039 --> 00:28:19.960
You just have to deal with what, whatever you've got.
00:28:20.329 --> 00:28:20.900
Exactly.
00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:24.509
And sometimes, they just had lunch and then it smells.
00:28:24.579 --> 00:28:28.529
And yeah.
00:28:28.589 --> 00:28:31.799
I mean, you learn not to care about the place.
00:28:32.424 --> 00:28:35.815
You just learn to work with what you have and do it.
00:28:36.515 --> 00:28:38.194
Because there's no other option.
00:28:38.434 --> 00:28:40.204
Which is really huge for a performer.
00:28:40.244 --> 00:28:40.664
Yeah.
00:28:40.694 --> 00:28:41.684
That's really important.
00:28:41.765 --> 00:28:42.494
Yeah.
00:28:42.555 --> 00:28:46.035
You really learn to stop paying attention to minimal things.
00:28:46.035 --> 00:28:46.484
Right.
00:28:46.515 --> 00:28:52.515
And to not to be obsessed with certain things and it's like, okay, this is what it is, and we still have to do our job.
00:28:52.545 --> 00:28:55.934
We still have to get to this kids and do it well.
00:28:56.920 --> 00:29:02.559
You learn to work early hours in the morning and just do it.
00:29:02.890 --> 00:29:07.309
And so that, that gave me a lot of good artistic muscles to
00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:09.279
And flexibility, right?
00:29:09.549 --> 00:29:10.299
Yes.
00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:14.029
Definitely dealing with something new every day and different places.
00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:23.269
And, you know, I did that, Monday, Wednesday, Fridays, and then on Tuesday and Thursdays, I used to teach at a Montessori school.
00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:29.970
I was a music and art teacher and at some point I also even, was an assistant in the academic program.
00:29:30.549 --> 00:29:33.990
That was one of the big day jobs that I had.
00:29:34.029 --> 00:29:41.430
I had it for about six years and that's a job I found by just walking around my neighborhood.
00:29:42.355 --> 00:29:45.595
Literally knocked on the door and say, I'm here, I'm new.
00:29:45.595 --> 00:29:46.674
I have a working permit.
00:29:46.674 --> 00:29:53.785
So if you need someone, I am here for whatever I speak Spanish and I sing.
00:29:54.005 --> 00:29:56.164
You're not the first person I've heard say something like that.
00:29:56.164 --> 00:29:58.825
So it doesn't hurt to just ask.
00:29:58.855 --> 00:30:03.414
Knock on the door, walk in the business, approach someone, you know, it doesn't hurt.
00:30:03.924 --> 00:30:07.224
Yeah, for experience, I can say that, it works.
00:30:07.825 --> 00:30:08.305
It works.
00:30:08.305 --> 00:30:14.095
You have to ask, you cannot wait until someone comes in and offer something and throws it in your lap.
00:30:14.525 --> 00:30:15.664
Yes, there's a lot of work.
00:30:15.664 --> 00:30:20.525
There's a lot of things that you have to do to grow, to keep your name going and this and that.
00:30:20.525 --> 00:30:24.305
But there's also asking, knocking on doors, sending an email.
00:30:24.755 --> 00:30:25.474
Ask.
00:30:25.654 --> 00:30:26.375
Always.
00:30:26.855 --> 00:30:30.724
Back then, I was just extremely grateful.
00:30:30.755 --> 00:30:32.825
Because I hadn't finished school.
00:30:33.005 --> 00:30:34.174
I didn't have a degree.
00:30:35.045 --> 00:30:41.194
And most of the people I was performing with, whether it was cause I was also doing the opera chorus right.
00:30:41.224 --> 00:30:41.944
At the same time.
00:30:42.335 --> 00:30:44.674
So I was singing all day with opera to go.
00:30:44.674 --> 00:30:48.394
And then when the day was over, we had to go to opera chorus rehearsal.
00:30:49.095 --> 00:30:51.884
And then my teaching at the Montessori job.
00:30:52.065 --> 00:30:54.585
And then the church job in the weekends.
00:30:55.275 --> 00:30:58.095
And I was just extremely grateful because I said, I don't have a degree.
00:30:58.095 --> 00:31:00.974
And most of the people I work with have a master's already.
00:31:01.325 --> 00:31:03.605
Of course that came with imposter syndrome.
00:31:04.144 --> 00:31:07.835
Like I'm not good enough or I'm always behind.
00:31:08.734 --> 00:31:13.025
But at the same time, it instilled in me like this sense of gratitude, right.
00:31:13.835 --> 00:31:17.105
Because in a way I thought I have what I don't really deserve.
00:31:18.410 --> 00:31:19.279
But I know I did.
00:31:19.789 --> 00:31:20.119
Yeah.
00:31:20.119 --> 00:31:24.160
I worked hard, you know, because I worked hard, but it was hard not to feel like that.
00:31:24.279 --> 00:31:24.700
Yeah.
00:31:25.119 --> 00:31:29.910
Well, and also, I think you're making a really good point because, obviously the schedule worked out really well for you.
00:31:29.910 --> 00:31:35.609
You had Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Opera to Go, you had Tuesday, Thursday to school, in the evenings you had chorus, on Sundays, you had church.
00:31:35.660 --> 00:31:40.369
Don't discount opportunities because you have to do two things at the same time.
00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:46.160
I think sometimes people just want to find that one thing and they want everything to be encapsulated in that one opportunity.
00:31:46.490 --> 00:31:59.930
And sometimes you need to do more than one thing, you know, for a season, it doesn't have to be for life, but sometimes you need to have, this part of your experience and talent goes in this gig and then this part of you gets to be fulfilled in this other gig.
00:31:59.960 --> 00:32:05.660
And then this other gig may not be your favorite, but it's the best thing that will buy you groceries or pay your rent.
00:32:05.660 --> 00:32:11.359
So sometimes you have to have a balance of different things, but you can pull from all of them.
00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:17.730
You had a pretty good balance of things that all were utilizing your talents and your experience.
00:32:18.230 --> 00:32:24.099
And it sounds like you had all things that you also took something from moving forward.
00:32:24.130 --> 00:32:24.490
Right?
00:32:25.450 --> 00:32:26.230
Definitely.
00:32:26.230 --> 00:32:26.650
Yeah.
00:32:26.650 --> 00:32:32.140
And you know, one of the earliest lessons I learned is don't give up your day job.
00:32:32.710 --> 00:32:35.019
If you can have it, don't give it up.
00:32:35.650 --> 00:32:46.549
Even if you're the most beautiful performer in the world, don't give it up if you have it and you can keep it, while you can, if life takes you somewhere else, go ahead and do it.
00:32:46.549 --> 00:32:54.200
But I can tell you that all of those experiences that I was living back then really serve me now for everything I'm doing.
00:32:54.380 --> 00:32:55.970
Every single one of them.
00:32:56.720 --> 00:32:58.039
And I'm grateful for them.
00:32:58.309 --> 00:32:59.940
Cause I was there for a while.
00:32:59.940 --> 00:33:01.740
I created great relationships.
00:33:02.490 --> 00:33:12.420
Not just the creation of like solid relationships with people I work with, my network, but also the way people saw me as a professional.
00:33:13.170 --> 00:33:19.599
I think that's also something that solidify my name, even though, of course, like no one knew me.
00:33:19.630 --> 00:33:20.079
Right.
00:33:20.200 --> 00:33:27.910
But those who knew me, knew how I worked, knew how I was to be around.
00:33:28.549 --> 00:33:35.470
So for example, I was a chorister and I was doing opera to go, and then I started doing these other new projects.
00:33:35.470 --> 00:33:38.740
I came out of HGO Co which is their outreach department.
00:33:39.170 --> 00:33:42.980
Hey, we are going to have the premiere of a song or a song cycle.
00:33:43.029 --> 00:33:44.230
And so I was part of it.
00:33:44.289 --> 00:33:49.069
And I noticed that people would think of me because they saw me.
00:33:49.099 --> 00:33:51.980
Oh, you know, like Cecy does a good job or, you know, she's an on time.
00:33:52.059 --> 00:33:52.480
All of it.
00:33:52.480 --> 00:33:52.660
Right.
00:33:52.839 --> 00:33:55.690
You were on time, you were professional, you were nice to everyone.
00:33:55.690 --> 00:33:59.509
And you had put in the work, you had the skills to, I mean, it's really, all of it.
00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:01.359
I think everything counts.
00:34:01.450 --> 00:34:02.630
Everything counts.
00:34:02.680 --> 00:34:07.599
As with everything, it's just creating a habit, make it part of your life.
00:34:08.119 --> 00:34:15.210
It has to be something that is, legitimate, you know, like you cannot just pretend to be nice.
00:34:16.769 --> 00:34:17.909
It's going to be your life.
00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:23.619
You cannot be faking it, you know, you just have to make it part of your life to have a work ethic.
00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:28.619
Because if you have a good work ethic, you're going to have a good ethic for everything else you do.
00:34:29.099 --> 00:34:31.800
And I think your heart about being grateful for what you had.
00:34:31.800 --> 00:34:33.730
I'm sure that came out, too.
00:34:33.789 --> 00:34:37.510
When you're grateful for an opportunity, people see that, you know, that comes across.
00:34:38.110 --> 00:34:39.400
Yeah, I think so.
00:34:39.489 --> 00:34:40.239
I think so, too.
00:34:40.239 --> 00:34:45.260
And so, we decided to split up my husband then and I.
00:34:45.260 --> 00:34:50.269
I had been doing every single opera as a chorister for five full seasons.
00:34:50.750 --> 00:35:03.980
And then I had been doing opera to go for three years, three full seasons and, you know, like life and things, I think that was like my first Houston moment where I was like, change is needed.
00:35:05.510 --> 00:35:08.449
It was a big change in all aspects of my life.
00:35:08.809 --> 00:35:12.059
But it had an impact on everything I was doing.
00:35:12.659 --> 00:35:18.599
And so it came just like that moment of, you know, Mexico moment saying like, I need to change.
00:35:18.599 --> 00:35:19.559
I need to move on.
00:35:19.559 --> 00:35:21.719
I need to see what else is out there.
00:35:22.050 --> 00:35:23.010
I felt that.
00:35:23.170 --> 00:35:26.289
Up until then only certain people knew me.
00:35:26.650 --> 00:35:30.980
I just decided to take a chance and see what else was out there.
00:35:31.980 --> 00:35:41.800
Thankfully, and this was like mere coincidence because I had no idea this was happening, but Houston Grand Opera had decided to create an opera with mariachi music.
00:35:41.800 --> 00:35:46.599
It was a world premiere to celebrate the bicentennial of the Mexican independence.
00:35:47.349 --> 00:35:55.440
And it turned out that I was the person they knew, and they thought of offering me the lead for the opera.
00:35:56.579 --> 00:36:00.329
That was at the moment when I decided to make a big change in my life.
00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:04.519
And I had just quit the chorus and Opera to go.
00:36:04.519 --> 00:36:07.340
And they called me and they say, Hey, do you want to do this?
00:36:07.800 --> 00:36:09.269
And so I said, yes.
00:36:09.349 --> 00:36:18.960
But I also made, a list of all the directors in the city, that did early music, which is something that I hadn't done in a while.
00:36:18.960 --> 00:36:23.380
And so I literally, again, knocking doors, right?
00:36:23.380 --> 00:36:28.000
Like I emailed people and I say, you don't know me, but I wonder if I can go sing for you?
00:36:28.500 --> 00:36:30.880
And everybody said, yes.
00:36:31.699 --> 00:36:35.150
It doesn't mean that you will get things immediately by doing that.
00:36:35.780 --> 00:36:37.159
I still had to wait.
00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:41.269
But I did my part, I did my initial part.
00:36:42.420 --> 00:36:48.269
And so things started happening slowly, but they started happening.
00:36:49.139 --> 00:36:56.750
This new mariachi opera ended up being like a much bigger hit than I think anybody anticipated.
00:36:57.300 --> 00:36:58.809
Not even us, that we're in it.
00:36:58.809 --> 00:37:01.539
I mean, we loved, and we were in love with it, but it was a big hit.
00:37:01.570 --> 00:37:04.599
So then the following year we were performing it in Paris.
00:37:05.619 --> 00:37:11.840
And after that all around the United States and I mean, it has been like one of the biggest things I've done.
00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:13.039
Well I have to say.
00:37:14.420 --> 00:37:19.820
As someone not involved in the production, if you have not seen this and you have the opportunity to see it.
00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:23.719
I mean, I, embarrassingly was sobbing.
00:37:23.719 --> 00:37:26.119
I think during this performance.
00:37:26.119 --> 00:37:27.139
I was not prepared.
00:37:27.559 --> 00:37:29.579
Now I will say, I am a mother.
00:37:29.789 --> 00:37:36.059
And so I think that's why it hit me harder than it might hit somebody who's not a parent, but still it.
00:37:36.960 --> 00:37:37.679
Oh my gosh.
00:37:37.760 --> 00:37:40.039
It is an incredibly moving piece.
00:37:40.159 --> 00:37:48.159
Especially in today's climate, I would say, it is a very, very relevant to what a lot of people have been seeing in the news.
00:37:48.159 --> 00:37:53.110
So if you have the opportunity to see it, I just have to say like, you just, you need to go, like, you just need to go.
00:37:53.530 --> 00:37:53.980
Yeah.
00:37:54.030 --> 00:38:00.809
It's an immigration story, and it shows the human side of immigration, which I think not everybody is aware of.
00:38:01.380 --> 00:38:10.380
We only see this things as laws and bills and things that, that need to change or need to happen or whatever.
00:38:10.380 --> 00:38:12.699
But I think that this is a beautiful story.
00:38:12.699 --> 00:38:17.940
And so, you know, like for me, was so meaningful to be doing that, you know, as an immigrant.
00:38:17.969 --> 00:38:27.460
Although I, it, it was not my story, but I think we all in the cast were aware that we were telling a real story.
00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:29.500
And we were telling someone's story.
00:38:29.530 --> 00:38:30.010
Yeah.
00:38:30.489 --> 00:38:35.869
And so I think that gave us a lot of respect for the piece.
00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:43.409
When you're on a stage, you're doing an opera, everything is big, everything is huge and dramatic.
00:38:43.409 --> 00:38:56.230
And when you tell a story like that, and you know that probably someone in the audience know someone that has gone through that, or they have gone through that, then that gives you a lot of respect and then you have to stop.
00:38:57.309 --> 00:38:57.760
And so
00:38:58.269 --> 00:39:02.710
there's a lot of universal messaging too, about what parents will do for their children.
00:39:03.739 --> 00:39:09.739
So I think that's just something everyone can understand because we're all a child of parents.
00:39:09.739 --> 00:39:10.219
Yeah.
00:39:10.460 --> 00:39:15.869
But also, a lot of us are parents that there's just such a universal emotion tied to that.
00:39:16.260 --> 00:39:21.000
And no matter what circumstance you put it in, although this is an incredibly powerful story.
00:39:21.599 --> 00:39:28.889
Can you talk a little bit about the difference between rehearsing and working through a new piece that has not been premiered yet?
00:39:28.889 --> 00:39:37.389
Cause you know, it's very different than going into a rehearsal for a Mozart piece or, or rehearsing, you know, Madame butterfly, like you brought it before.
00:39:37.389 --> 00:39:42.949
So what are some differences for musicians when you were putting together a world premiere?
00:39:43.670 --> 00:39:43.940
Yeah.
00:39:44.110 --> 00:39:48.980
So most of the stuff I do now, besides singing early music is premiering new works.
00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:50.889
And that it's like, I love it.
00:39:51.110 --> 00:39:56.900
What happens when you do a new work is that we have to go through the process of, what they call the workshop.
00:39:58.114 --> 00:40:00.784
And this can happen different ways, right?
00:40:00.784 --> 00:40:10.355
But usually you get together with the creative team that ride the composer and librettist and whoever is going to sing this piece or perform it.
00:40:10.934 --> 00:40:14.514
Then you get together to read the work.
00:40:14.764 --> 00:40:25.724
By the end of the week, it's usually like a week or so of work where composer and librettist can hear the piece and see what works and what doesn't.
00:40:25.985 --> 00:40:32.150
It's quite a cool process because you know, the next day they will give you new music.
00:40:32.530 --> 00:40:33.789
This didn't work yesterday.
00:40:33.789 --> 00:40:34.989
Let's try this way.
00:40:35.199 --> 00:40:36.610
Let's change this word.
00:40:36.880 --> 00:40:41.860
Let's change this music because it doesn't fit your range quite well, or,
00:40:42.099 --> 00:40:43.170
That's nice, right?
00:40:43.829 --> 00:40:45.059
It's so nice.
00:40:45.090 --> 00:40:57.860
It's so nice, but also a big responsibility for you as a performer, because you have to bring your"A"game, and be ready and flexible, to work with all the changes that can happen through the process.
00:40:58.099 --> 00:41:03.619
And then at the end, you can probably have a pretty good idea of how the work will be.
00:41:04.019 --> 00:41:17.889
After that workshop process, then comes the rehearsal and he doesn't happen immediately after usually you have the workshop and then composer and librettist keep changing things, and then they send you more changes before the first rehearsal.
00:41:18.260 --> 00:41:21.980
Our world premiere was actually a concert version of the piece.
00:41:22.489 --> 00:41:26.449
And then we had like wonderful Mariachi Vargas playing with us.
00:41:26.510 --> 00:41:31.110
Their leader back then, was the composer of the piece.
00:41:31.559 --> 00:41:35.519
For those that don't know, this is like the most famous mariachi in the world.
00:41:35.570 --> 00:41:42.989
I didn't grow up listening mariachi music, but I knew who Mariachi Vargas was because they're like the rock stars of mariachi music.
00:41:43.659 --> 00:41:47.019
So anyway, changes kept happening.
00:41:47.519 --> 00:41:49.769
You know, after we premiered it.
00:41:50.530 --> 00:41:56.579
There's an album, an audio CD, that came out of that performance, that live concert performance.
00:41:56.579 --> 00:42:00.559
And now I hear it and I'm like, oh man, there were many more changes.
00:42:00.590 --> 00:42:03.110
There was a song that was added and stuff like that.
00:42:03.110 --> 00:42:10.625
So, you know, works keep taking different shapes and we performed that for 10 years.
00:42:10.655 --> 00:42:13.614
I think now the opera started
00:42:13.614 --> 00:42:14.974
I didn't realize it had been that long.
00:42:15.184 --> 00:42:15.965
Yes.
00:42:16.625 --> 00:42:26.344
And we have been all over, but you know, now the child has grown and now it's being performed by other singers, other companies, which is wonderful.
00:42:26.394 --> 00:42:34.585
It's a beautiful thing for me to see that other people are loving it, that other people are also bringing something to it.
00:42:35.175 --> 00:42:36.275
And what an honor, right?
00:42:36.275 --> 00:42:39.635
And what it just makes me so happy to think, oh wow.
00:42:39.664 --> 00:42:42.275
Like I got to put the first stone there.
00:42:42.355 --> 00:42:47.184
And then now there are other Renatas that will bring something to it.
00:42:47.244 --> 00:42:50.905
And it's just a beautiful feeling, when doing new works.
00:42:51.235 --> 00:42:54.264
That's one of my favorite things about doing it.
00:42:55.264 --> 00:43:05.614
So after doing a few things for HGO co, I was invited to sing at the Moores Opera House and they were performing The Rodeo Songs.
00:43:05.644 --> 00:43:14.855
I was not part of that, but Mark Buller, who was, I think, a doctoral back then, and you say hi.
00:43:15.065 --> 00:43:21.465
So I had been working with him, through HGO co I had premiered actually, one of his beautiful songs.
00:43:22.094 --> 00:43:27.414
And so he asked me if I could go and perform the song for the same program.
00:43:27.905 --> 00:43:32.284
I remember I was there, I sang the song and that was it.
00:43:33.094 --> 00:43:46.494
And after the performance was over, you and Joey Evans approached me and, said, oh, we love your performance.
00:43:46.574 --> 00:43:49.454
Have you ever thought of doing your doctorate with us?
00:43:49.485 --> 00:43:50.954
We would love to have you.
00:43:51.295 --> 00:43:57.534
I just thought I don't even have a bachelor's, uh, but thank you for the offer.
00:43:57.534 --> 00:44:02.545
And so when that happened, back then I had, in my head, the train is gone.
00:44:02.594 --> 00:44:04.425
This college train is gone.
00:44:05.235 --> 00:44:06.315
I am too old.
00:44:06.315 --> 00:44:08.534
I am already singing professionally.
00:44:09.164 --> 00:44:10.485
I can't do this.
00:44:10.565 --> 00:44:23.864
And it was thanks to many conversations with you, Carrie, that I started changing my mind and thinking about the possibility of actually finishing my education.
00:44:24.840 --> 00:44:26.579
I'm really good at nagging people.
00:44:27.030 --> 00:44:29.699
You are, people will be like, yep.
00:44:30.239 --> 00:44:30.599
Yep.
00:44:30.750 --> 00:44:32.550
She, she gets on your case.
00:44:32.699 --> 00:44:35.820
And then all of a sudden you find yourself doing something.
00:44:37.019 --> 00:44:37.980
I loved it.
00:44:37.980 --> 00:44:40.260
I, you know it and I'm going to say it.
00:44:40.260 --> 00:44:48.269
I mean the big pieces and this big change in my life, of course, Mark, who was the one that invited me to sing.
00:44:48.269 --> 00:44:55.559
And then of course you, that kept me in track and you, just told me, think about all the good things that can happen.
00:44:56.039 --> 00:45:03.409
I had remarried to my husband now, who came from Spain, Jesus.
00:45:03.860 --> 00:45:08.480
So he also was one of the people that really, really supported me from the beginning.
00:45:08.480 --> 00:45:09.590
He's like, you'll have to do it.
00:45:09.590 --> 00:45:10.880
You have to do, I'd go to it.
00:45:11.480 --> 00:45:13.610
I think I remember conspiring with him a little bit.
00:45:13.969 --> 00:45:15.230
He's like, I'll talk to her.
00:45:15.869 --> 00:45:16.610
I'm sure.
00:45:17.150 --> 00:45:18.380
I'm sure that happened.
00:45:18.829 --> 00:45:21.889
So anyway, I decided to go for it.
00:45:21.980 --> 00:45:30.920
And I became a freshman at the university of Houston and it changed my life, I guess, forever.
00:45:30.920 --> 00:45:44.760
I made a big change because my career was, I'm not going to say, oh, I wasn't going all over the world, but you know, I was doing some things already, like professionally and as a soloist and, and working with new people.
00:45:45.059 --> 00:45:49.409
You were doing things that a lot of people with graduate degrees were not doing.
00:45:49.679 --> 00:45:49.889
Yeah.
00:45:49.929 --> 00:45:51.000
I'll say that for you.
00:45:51.360 --> 00:45:51.630
Yeah.
00:45:52.210 --> 00:45:57.710
I was already like out there in the world working with people.
00:45:57.789 --> 00:46:00.130
It was very humbling and it was so cool.
00:46:00.159 --> 00:46:11.519
Again, I was grateful for the opportunity to keep my feet on the ground because that's one of the most difficult things for performers, you know?
00:46:11.550 --> 00:46:14.070
You have to keep your feet on the ground, man.
00:46:14.489 --> 00:46:14.699
I
00:46:15.369 --> 00:46:17.739
I think they're exactly what you've been saying.
00:46:17.739 --> 00:46:21.460
I think there are so many people out there who are like: that ship has sailed.
00:46:21.639 --> 00:46:22.570
I'm too old.
00:46:22.630 --> 00:46:24.130
Why would I go back and do this?
00:46:24.550 --> 00:46:34.059
So can you talk a little bit about, now that you have done it and you graduated, and you have that experience, can you tell people why they should do it?
00:46:34.250 --> 00:46:35.539
First of all, it's never late.
00:46:36.050 --> 00:46:36.559
That's one.
00:46:36.920 --> 00:46:50.329
I think people should do it because the amount of experience, it's like all this training that's necessary, honestly, before you go into the professional world.
00:46:50.690 --> 00:46:51.860
You'll be grateful for it.
00:46:52.760 --> 00:46:53.690
All that exposure.
00:46:54.590 --> 00:47:01.340
Whether you were singing in the choir, during your undergrad or you're doing roles in the operas of your school.
00:47:01.389 --> 00:47:02.829
It's gonna serve you.
00:47:03.559 --> 00:47:05.869
In my case, I'm going to be super honest.
00:47:05.869 --> 00:47:12.230
I had been preparing myself, taking voice lessons and all of that, but my singing was not solid.
00:47:13.159 --> 00:47:25.369
I have a good instrument and I have great musicality and instinct and that's what had brought me where I was.
00:47:25.769 --> 00:47:26.940
That's so important to say.
00:47:26.940 --> 00:47:31.829
Cause I think no matter what field you're in, like we could literally be talking about any field.
00:47:32.579 --> 00:47:39.059
And no matter how much experience you have or the great gigs you've done or the jobs you've had: you don't know everything.
00:47:39.239 --> 00:47:42.510
None of us know everything about what we do.
00:47:42.539 --> 00:47:50.849
There's always, always more to learn, more people to interact with and learn from, whether those are professors or peers or whoever.
00:47:51.280 --> 00:48:04.480
Honestly, the people who are the true successes, like when we talk about longevity and, reach and making an impact are the people who realize: we're always learning, we will always continue to learn.
00:48:04.480 --> 00:48:10.000
And that's important to always continue to learn, regardless of the setting or the field or whatever you're doing.
00:48:10.030 --> 00:48:10.329
Yeah.
00:48:10.449 --> 00:48:11.320
100%.
00:48:11.320 --> 00:48:11.619
Yes.
00:48:11.619 --> 00:48:17.829
And I think the more you advance, the more you realize that you need to keep learning.
00:48:18.429 --> 00:48:22.940
There's always holes and things that we need to fill in to improve.
00:48:23.269 --> 00:48:27.949
I think there's also a lot of people out there who are like, I don't need the paper, you know, I have this job.
00:48:28.010 --> 00:48:28.820
I'm cool.
00:48:29.269 --> 00:48:30.469
I don't need that paper.
00:48:30.769 --> 00:48:37.639
But you never know when an opportunity will come your way later, where you will need the paper.
00:48:37.880 --> 00:48:46.469
Even if it doesn't seem like it matters, there are opportunities that are going to require the paper, whether you're more experienced with the other people or not.
00:48:46.469 --> 00:48:48.900
And that's just the reality of things.
00:48:48.900 --> 00:49:00.090
I know there's a lot of opinions swirling and that's a whole nother conversation, but, for people who are sitting there feeling like maybe they're stagnant, getting the paper, sometimes part of it is to get the paper.
00:49:00.159 --> 00:49:06.630
Of course there's the whole learning experience and everything you can get out of that, but that can benefit you tremendously in ways that you just don't see yet.
00:49:07.059 --> 00:49:07.269
Yeah.
00:49:07.630 --> 00:49:08.940
And I'll also say it.
00:49:08.940 --> 00:49:11.130
I mean, it's the country we live in, right?
00:49:11.159 --> 00:49:15.360
Like, things don't work like that everywhere, but here you need it.
00:49:15.719 --> 00:49:16.320
You need it.
00:49:16.530 --> 00:49:19.139
And you know, in my case as a singer, okay.
00:49:19.469 --> 00:49:22.349
I probably won't sing always.
00:49:23.144 --> 00:49:25.034
We are living in the middle of a pandemics.
00:49:25.065 --> 00:49:33.704
We are still living in the middle of a pandemic and we have experienced a loss of work and suddenly we have nothing.
00:49:34.184 --> 00:49:40.514
But if you have a paper, you can find other kinds of job that requires that paper.
00:49:40.514 --> 00:49:46.704
Like if it's just for singing, like I knew, at that point in my life, I don't really need the paper to sing.
00:49:47.304 --> 00:49:50.635
But I need all the learning experience.
00:49:51.275 --> 00:50:05.159
And everything that the papers also can give me, to move on and to do something else because now I can teach somewhere, you know, now I can do other things that required a degree.
00:50:05.730 --> 00:50:09.780
And I hope everybody realizes is when we're saying the paper we're talking about the diploma, the degree.
00:50:09.789 --> 00:50:10.030
Yeah.
00:50:11.280 --> 00:50:28.920
As you know, I went through, I did my undergrad and then I continued with my master's and I did my master's in pedagogy and performance because I knew I didn't need it to sing again, but I wanted to add that pedagogy because now I have this in my background that says that I can teach.
00:50:29.519 --> 00:50:33.989
And after my sophomore year, I became a mom.
00:50:34.599 --> 00:50:40.389
So I was juggling being a full-time student, a mom, and a professional.
00:50:40.489 --> 00:50:49.820
I think a lot of people just saw me, going through school and I'm under the impression that some people saw me and said, oh, that's so cool cause she's like performing.
00:50:49.820 --> 00:50:54.769
As friendly and loving as everybody was at U of H, I didn't get any special treatment.
00:50:54.860 --> 00:50:56.869
I'm going to say it like that because it's true.
00:50:57.230 --> 00:51:00.800
I had to do 100%, all my homeworks and all my
00:51:01.969 --> 00:51:04.190
well, and you also had to take non-music classes, right?
00:51:04.190 --> 00:51:05.179
That everyone has to take.
00:51:05.179 --> 00:51:07.010
I mean, no one wants to go back to math.
00:51:07.090 --> 00:51:07.239
Yeah.
00:51:07.340 --> 00:51:07.699
Yeah.
00:51:07.699 --> 00:51:10.789
I took me three semesters to pass algebra.
00:51:11.860 --> 00:51:12.679
It's not a joke.
00:51:12.679 --> 00:51:14.510
When you go back to school, it is not easy.
00:51:14.630 --> 00:51:21.280
I mean, you have a lot of experience or older, but, dusting off some of those things that you thought you'd lift off the shelf.
00:51:21.730 --> 00:51:22.000
Yeah.
00:51:22.510 --> 00:51:27.090
I mean, geology, geology, astronomy, everything.
00:51:27.329 --> 00:51:29.309
I did absolutely everything.
00:51:29.519 --> 00:51:30.869
And it was a pain.
00:51:31.059 --> 00:51:35.440
Just to give you a little insight, cause really this are things that people don't see.
00:51:35.889 --> 00:51:41.260
I mean, I was traveling on a gig and my free day was to send my assignments.
00:51:41.289 --> 00:51:47.769
I had to travel with my books, and email my professors and finish papers.
00:51:47.900 --> 00:51:53.750
There were times when I really, I was in my free day and I was crying because I had to finish the paper.
00:51:54.369 --> 00:51:55.420
And it's not fun.
00:51:55.809 --> 00:51:57.260
You know, it's not fun.
00:51:57.769 --> 00:51:58.969
But it was worth it.
00:51:59.530 --> 00:52:06.619
There were plenty of times when, after I gig, I have to come back and I said, oh, the deadline is midnight, so I have to finish this.
00:52:06.619 --> 00:52:07.880
And I was still on my gown.
00:52:07.880 --> 00:52:13.730
I was still with all my makeup and I couldn't even like process the happiness of my concert of my gig.
00:52:14.210 --> 00:52:16.159
And it's not like, always like that.
00:52:16.210 --> 00:52:17.050
But it wasn't easy.
00:52:17.710 --> 00:52:18.639
It wasn't easy.
00:52:18.639 --> 00:52:20.590
There's so many things that people don't see.
00:52:20.590 --> 00:52:22.389
They just see the pretty picture, right?
00:52:22.389 --> 00:52:25.090
Like the photo of the concert and the smiling faces.
00:52:25.090 --> 00:52:27.639
You mentioned you became a mom in the middle of that degree.
00:52:27.789 --> 00:52:31.980
Just as an encouragement to other moms who might be discounting school.
00:52:32.030 --> 00:52:36.110
There are support services out there who can help you.
00:52:36.110 --> 00:52:47.210
You do have to take time and do your research, but I think it's safe to say that most institutions of higher education have some kind of childcare rates and facility or partnerships for childcare.
00:52:47.599 --> 00:52:49.340
So it is worth looking into.
00:52:49.340 --> 00:52:53.659
Like don't just discount it and think, oh, it's not possible because I have a baby now.
00:52:53.840 --> 00:52:55.400
You have more freedom with your schedule, right?
00:52:55.400 --> 00:52:56.000
Sometimes.
00:52:56.210 --> 00:52:58.909
There's some classes you can't, you can't freedom with.
00:52:58.909 --> 00:53:01.489
I think music is not the best example of that.
00:53:01.519 --> 00:53:06.690
But, there's a lot of classes where you have a wide variety of times to choose when you take that class.
00:53:06.690 --> 00:53:15.030
So there's a lot of degrees out there where you can design your schedule and make it work with your daycare situation and it's possible.
00:53:15.570 --> 00:53:15.690
Yeah.
00:53:15.719 --> 00:53:16.019
Yeah.
00:53:16.050 --> 00:53:20.090
You know, Julia went to daycare at the University of Houston.
00:53:20.090 --> 00:53:25.940
It was so lovely and it was like one of the things that actually facilitated my time there.
00:53:26.550 --> 00:53:30.605
The fact that I could have her so close to me.
00:53:31.085 --> 00:53:37.324
And I knew that she was like being taken care of and she was learning and she was happy.
00:53:37.445 --> 00:53:38.255
She loved it.
00:53:38.255 --> 00:53:39.304
She loved it.
00:53:39.815 --> 00:53:42.574
And so I'm like the most grateful.
00:53:42.585 --> 00:53:59.005
As someone who was older in an undergraduate program, observing a lot of the students around you, well, first of all, just say you were such a positive influence, I think on a lot of them, because you were like a living example, walking around among them of what they could achieve in the future.
00:53:59.034 --> 00:54:01.045
And, and also just who you are.
00:54:01.045 --> 00:54:03.474
you were just so supportive and encouraging to them.
00:54:04.255 --> 00:54:14.855
But because you have so much experience observing students going through college, if you had to give one or two pieces of advice to college students in general, what would those be?
00:54:14.905 --> 00:54:15.355
Wow.
00:54:15.925 --> 00:54:20.574
Well I think one of them is learn how to manage your time.
00:54:21.074 --> 00:54:23.175
There's a lot of stress going on.
00:54:23.175 --> 00:54:30.625
I remember comforting my classmates crying in the hall, because of time.
00:54:31.014 --> 00:54:36.525
And this big desire of being like over-achieving everything and doing everything.
00:54:36.574 --> 00:54:37.835
Take it easy on yourself.
00:54:37.864 --> 00:54:40.855
Give yourself grace, and do your work.
00:54:41.155 --> 00:54:52.824
Something that was very important to me and that actually helped me manage my professional and student life was communication.
00:54:53.184 --> 00:54:56.605
And I think that's something all students need to do.
00:54:57.014 --> 00:55:01.224
It's not that you need another thing to communicate with your teacher.
00:55:01.315 --> 00:55:02.724
Always communicate with them.
00:55:03.474 --> 00:55:09.445
Teachers, if you are not present in the classroom, they won't go after you like probably in high school.
00:55:09.474 --> 00:55:09.835
Right.
00:55:10.405 --> 00:55:11.815
But make sure you reach out.
00:55:12.054 --> 00:55:14.514
Make sure you show them that you care.
00:55:15.594 --> 00:55:21.605
I think as long as you've made yourself known to them, they will remember you and they'll remember that you care.
00:55:21.844 --> 00:55:23.644
So I don't understand this.
00:55:23.644 --> 00:55:28.565
Can you help me or I am sorry I cannot be present in your class today.
00:55:29.670 --> 00:55:30.570
Communicate.
00:55:30.809 --> 00:55:31.380
Yes.
00:55:31.679 --> 00:55:32.039
Yeah.
00:55:32.610 --> 00:55:34.679
It's so hard because we feel afraid.
00:55:34.920 --> 00:55:37.780
We see this professors as like, deities, right.
00:55:37.780 --> 00:55:42.039
Or I don't know, like people that we can't reach, but yes, you have their email.
00:55:42.039 --> 00:55:43.690
You can always talk to them.
00:55:44.139 --> 00:55:45.130
They're human too.
00:55:45.130 --> 00:55:47.409
Sometimes your professors have things going on.
00:55:47.440 --> 00:55:55.260
You don't know what they have at home or in their outside life, but it takes hardly no time at all to send an email and say, I'm so sorry, I'm going to miss class today.
00:55:55.719 --> 00:56:03.369
And you can either state the reason or if you don't want to state the reasons say, I'm happy to discuss it with you later or something, and then ask questions.
00:56:03.400 --> 00:56:08.949
Like if you don't understand what's going on and you don't feel comfortable raising your hand in class.
00:56:09.070 --> 00:56:12.579
I mean, I think it's a pretty universal thing that professors have office hours.
00:56:12.579 --> 00:56:14.739
I think they're required to in most places.
00:56:15.309 --> 00:56:16.300
And they also have an email.
00:56:16.300 --> 00:56:16.630
Right.
00:56:16.630 --> 00:56:17.110
So.
00:56:18.159 --> 00:56:21.369
Don't be scared to show you don't understand something.
00:56:21.400 --> 00:56:22.690
You won't be the only one.
00:56:23.019 --> 00:56:23.650
You won't.
00:56:24.099 --> 00:56:34.179
And asking the questions, shows them that you're trying, because they think the people that don't show up and don't communicate, it looks like you don't care, even if you do.
00:56:34.780 --> 00:56:34.929
Yeah.
00:56:34.960 --> 00:56:41.010
Because they're not even seeing that you took the effort to take 30 seconds to send them an email to say you weren't going to be in class that day.
00:56:41.190 --> 00:56:41.400
Yeah.
00:56:41.429 --> 00:56:45.449
It's just, it really is a minimal effort, even though it feels really stressful and scary.
00:56:45.929 --> 00:56:48.150
They will appreciate the communication.
00:56:48.480 --> 00:56:48.869
Yeah.
00:56:50.130 --> 00:56:50.739
Just do it.
00:56:50.760 --> 00:56:52.619
I'm an introvert and I'm always afraid.
00:56:52.730 --> 00:56:56.150
And I can get into my own head and he becomes this like big snowball.
00:56:56.179 --> 00:56:56.449
Right.
00:56:56.900 --> 00:57:05.519
So like if you don't show up to class because you are sad, and then you don't reach out because you're afraid.
00:57:06.389 --> 00:57:10.440
You know, it becomes a bigger thing with as the time passes.
00:57:11.260 --> 00:57:13.809
So it becomes easier and easier to keep not going to class.
00:57:13.809 --> 00:57:15.550
Cause you're like, yeah, they think I'm terrible.
00:57:15.550 --> 00:57:16.780
Or now I'm too far behind.
00:57:16.780 --> 00:57:18.250
I couldn't possibly catch up now.
00:57:18.250 --> 00:57:19.449
So I'm just going to give up.
00:57:19.900 --> 00:57:27.489
And so many times there's an out somewhere that you just may not be aware of because you're not communicating and asking.
00:57:28.000 --> 00:57:28.420
Yeah.
00:57:28.599 --> 00:57:29.710
And you'll be surprised.
00:57:29.710 --> 00:57:37.809
Do you know that most of the time your teacher will respond in a positive way and say, yeah, I can help you or yes, I can give you grace or thank you for telling me.
00:57:37.889 --> 00:57:38.110
Yeah.
00:57:38.199 --> 00:57:42.070
If you think your professor has never heard a story like yours, they probably have.
00:57:42.130 --> 00:57:47.280
I mean, most professors have heard just about everything you can think of.
00:57:47.610 --> 00:57:47.960
Yeah.
00:57:47.960 --> 00:57:48.750
That that's true.
00:57:48.750 --> 00:57:49.980
And always with respect.
00:57:49.980 --> 00:57:56.320
In my case, because my communication with my teachers always had to do with the gigs I had.
00:57:56.429 --> 00:58:03.210
I remember, like before a semester started, I always emailed all my professors and said, I have this gig.
00:58:03.239 --> 00:58:05.699
That means I would miss this classes.
00:58:06.210 --> 00:58:08.309
Are you okay with me being your student?
00:58:08.989 --> 00:58:10.489
Can we make this work?
00:58:10.699 --> 00:58:17.739
You know, I never said I'm a famous opera singer and I have this very important gigs.
00:58:17.739 --> 00:58:18.320
No.
00:58:18.369 --> 00:58:22.000
I acknowledge their authority, because is what's proper.
00:58:22.000 --> 00:58:24.369
And I always ask them and I said, are you okay?
00:58:24.369 --> 00:58:26.230
I'm willing to do extra work.
00:58:26.349 --> 00:58:31.090
I said that, or I have my classmates that can help me, giving me notes.
00:58:31.119 --> 00:58:31.989
Are you okay?
00:58:32.469 --> 00:58:36.500
And then when they said yes, then, okay, clear everything is in my schedule.
00:58:36.500 --> 00:58:37.940
I gave them this dates and they.
00:58:39.375 --> 00:58:44.985
I always try to keep them, updated and aware of what was going on with my life, because it was important.
00:58:44.985 --> 00:58:48.284
And sometimes I had to email them and say, my daughter has a fever.
00:58:48.284 --> 00:58:48.795
I'm sorry.
00:58:48.795 --> 00:58:50.235
I can not show up today.
00:58:50.625 --> 00:58:50.985
Yeah.
00:58:51.005 --> 00:58:53.474
Because life happens and they know that.
00:58:53.844 --> 00:59:06.594
The other question I have for you, and as I'm asking it, I realized we didn't talk a whole lot about, so we may have to bring up a few things, but you've been so creative in your career about creating opportunities for yourself.
00:59:06.655 --> 00:59:27.065
And you talked a little bit about that, when you reached out to the different kind of Baroque, ensembles and asking if you could sing for them, and you have relationships with composers that have asked you to sing pieces that they're premiering, but can you talk a little bit about, when you have these particular specializations or interests, or, you just want to do something.
00:59:27.094 --> 00:59:33.244
What is some advice you have for students to try to create an opportunity for themselves to do what they want to do?
00:59:33.295 --> 00:59:38.505
I think in general, you have to do what, you know you can handle at the moment, right?
00:59:38.505 --> 00:59:44.864
Like, don't have an expectation of like doing this big, amazing show and producing it when, when you don't have the means.
00:59:44.864 --> 00:59:48.614
But there's always something you can do at the place where you are.
00:59:48.914 --> 00:59:49.815
Collaborate.
00:59:49.864 --> 00:59:51.394
Hey, I want to create something.
00:59:51.454 --> 01:00:02.655
I'm going to make a video and I'm going to call my friend who plays this instrument and we're going to play this piece that I always loved, and I have never been able to play it And then put it out there.
01:00:02.655 --> 01:00:05.824
And sometimes necessity they say, right?
01:00:05.945 --> 01:00:10.635
It's the one that sparks that light, because you must do something.
01:00:10.644 --> 01:00:17.905
In my case, for example, the pandemic is the one that brought out the idea of recording my first solo album.
01:00:18.235 --> 01:00:21.295
And it happened because of the pandemic.
01:00:21.864 --> 01:00:24.534
Because suddenly I saw myself with nothing.
01:00:25.594 --> 01:00:33.215
I'm doing things according to the place where I am with the people I know, and with the things I have achieved.
01:00:33.425 --> 01:00:36.125
In the past, I created other things, right.
01:00:36.485 --> 01:00:38.585
That were up to the level of where I was.
01:00:39.315 --> 01:00:42.315
Talk a little bit about your album and what brought you to want to do that?
01:00:42.315 --> 01:00:43.664
Cause there's a story there, right?
01:00:43.664 --> 01:00:45.195
With how you connect to that music.
01:00:45.675 --> 01:00:46.094
Yes.
01:00:46.125 --> 01:00:56.554
So as I said in the beginning, one of the music genre is that I listened to when I was little was Latin American songs or Latin American art songs, boleros.
01:00:56.974 --> 01:00:59.164
And I heard them from my mom's voice.
01:00:59.164 --> 01:01:00.545
My mom is a beautiful singer.
01:01:00.574 --> 01:01:08.585
And so I grew up with them and they were always part of my life, even in the United States, whenever I was at a party.
01:01:08.635 --> 01:01:14.485
There was actually one time when I did a gig and we went to Mexico and we gave a concert there.
01:01:14.994 --> 01:01:16.905
And then after the concert, they gave a dinner.
01:01:17.150 --> 01:01:20.320
Suddenly they asked me to sing a song cause there was a trio there.
01:01:20.320 --> 01:01:23.329
And so I sang a Mexican song, a Mexican Bolero.
01:01:23.550 --> 01:01:31.599
Whenever I had those chances to sing for people, there would always be one person to come to me and say, have you made an album?
01:01:32.000 --> 01:01:34.550
Have you thought of recording these songs?
01:01:34.550 --> 01:01:35.599
Because they're so beautiful.
01:01:36.469 --> 01:01:38.269
And I was like, oh yeah, sure, whatever.
01:01:38.969 --> 01:01:40.949
I have never thought of it.
01:01:41.260 --> 01:01:51.570
Honestly, I had no idea of what it entailed, but I have been involved with quite a few audio recordings in my life.
01:01:51.599 --> 01:01:54.239
But never done anything on my own.
01:01:54.989 --> 01:02:05.789
And so suddenly, we got COVID and, I thought, okay, what if I actually start thinking about doing.
01:02:07.079 --> 01:02:10.110
And so I thought, okay, who do I know?
01:02:10.559 --> 01:02:16.699
And I thought, okay, I want my favorite trio, which is trio Chapultepec.
01:02:16.940 --> 01:02:23.539
They actually played in the latest mariachi opera Milagro, and I met them and they're the most wonderful musicians.
01:02:24.079 --> 01:02:28.719
And I knew I wanted my husband, Jesus, to be the percussionist for the project.
01:02:28.769 --> 01:02:32.630
And cause I thought, if I'm doing this, what is my dream team?
01:02:33.559 --> 01:02:40.789
And so I came up with this musicians and then, I thought, okay, what's the best recording studio I know?
01:02:41.090 --> 01:02:50.090
And what is the best engineer that I've known and that I love, and I called Andy Bradley, that works at Wire Road Studios in Houston, Texas.
01:02:50.090 --> 01:02:53.630
And I called him and I said, Hey, how much does it cost?
01:02:53.630 --> 01:02:56.010
Okay, I need to know how much money I need to raise.
01:02:56.150 --> 01:02:56.510
Okay.
01:02:56.539 --> 01:02:59.280
And how much do I need to pay my musicians?
01:02:59.300 --> 01:03:04.039
And so I asked them and I said, how much would you charge for this?
01:03:04.039 --> 01:03:04.969
And for that.
01:03:05.400 --> 01:03:10.940
I started putting pieces together and then I thought, okay, I want to do this.
01:03:10.940 --> 01:03:18.750
And honestly, my first desire was to do this solo album just as a tribute to my mom.
01:03:19.889 --> 01:03:22.739
Because of all the beautiful music that she gave me when I was little.
01:03:22.750 --> 01:03:23.190
Yeah.
01:03:23.590 --> 01:03:27.920
And my family in general, but I wanted to do it for her and I still.
01:03:28.519 --> 01:03:30.380
But I knew I wanted to do it well.
01:03:30.960 --> 01:03:32.789
I wanted to do it with quality.
01:03:32.980 --> 01:03:35.159
So that's why I called Andy at Wire Road.
01:03:35.460 --> 01:03:40.260
And then I thought, okay, this is going to be a very independent product.
01:03:40.320 --> 01:03:45.780
I'm going to do it on my own, but I want to producer because I don't want to be in charge.
01:03:45.809 --> 01:03:48.659
I'm already the executive producer of my album.
01:03:48.840 --> 01:03:52.170
I want to only worry about my singing when it's time to record.
01:03:52.480 --> 01:03:59.730
I recorded as a soloist for the Houston Chamber Choirs Durufle the complete choral works.
01:04:00.219 --> 01:04:03.579
Which is another group that I love and I love working with them.
01:04:03.579 --> 01:04:08.599
And so the last thing I did with them was recording the solo, for their Durufle Requiem.
01:04:09.469 --> 01:04:15.690
Multiple time Grammy winner, producer, Blanton Alspaugh was their producer.
01:04:16.150 --> 01:04:19.989
And so when I thought of doing this, I actually talked to a couple of people.
01:04:20.739 --> 01:04:25.809
Do you think it would be crazy if I email Blanton and ask him?
01:04:26.349 --> 01:04:29.289
And everybody was like, well, just do it, you know?
01:04:31.119 --> 01:04:31.500
Yeah.
01:04:31.539 --> 01:04:33.460
Going back to it, doesn't hurt to ask.
01:04:33.510 --> 01:04:33.900
Yeah.
01:04:33.929 --> 01:04:39.389
And I'm going to tell you every time you have to ask, it will feel like the biggest thing ever.
01:04:40.224 --> 01:04:46.795
It's never going to feel like an easy thing to do, and that's why you still have to do it because you have to ask.
01:04:47.155 --> 01:04:54.135
And so anyway, I sent an email to him after talking to many people and feeling this knot in my stomach.
01:04:54.505 --> 01:04:56.215
You probably remember me.
01:04:56.215 --> 01:05:03.364
I sang the solo here and I was in Milagro that you produced, and I have this project, it's Latin American songs.
01:05:03.364 --> 01:05:10.434
And I want to know, I need a producer, so would you be interested in being my producer for my album?
01:05:11.065 --> 01:05:15.114
And I close my computer and I, you know, nerves, everything.
01:05:15.324 --> 01:05:21.534
And then I checked my email five minutes later and I had a response from him saying, yes, let zoom.
01:05:22.974 --> 01:05:23.965
Oh my gosh.
01:05:23.965 --> 01:05:24.784
That's awesome.
01:05:24.784 --> 01:05:27.565
So I zoomed with him and he's like, yes, I want to.
01:05:27.695 --> 01:05:29.195
It was just so amazing.
01:05:29.195 --> 01:05:31.085
And he's like, of course I remember you.
01:05:32.164 --> 01:05:41.295
You know, he's a classical music producer and this is probably the farthest he has been producing an album that's not necessarily classical music.
01:05:41.474 --> 01:05:48.335
What I think, and you know, this too, as we've worked with so many artists throughout our lifetime, they don't want to do the same thing all the time.
01:05:48.724 --> 01:05:49.144
Yeah.
01:05:49.474 --> 01:06:00.215
I mean, people can have an expertise and a specialization that they do most of the time, but so many artists are excited to do something different and do something new.
01:06:00.215 --> 01:06:02.405
So that's something else for people to keep in mind.
01:06:02.405 --> 01:06:07.574
Don't be intimidated by someone because you're think you're slightly outside of their realm.
01:06:07.664 --> 01:06:11.385
Because that might be the very thing that they're looking for at that time.
01:06:11.385 --> 01:06:11.804
You never know.
01:06:12.795 --> 01:06:13.574
That's true.
01:06:13.934 --> 01:06:15.744
And so he said, yes.
01:06:15.744 --> 01:06:18.025
And so I said, what's your fee, right?
01:06:18.025 --> 01:06:19.434
Because I need to raise money.
01:06:19.644 --> 01:06:23.094
What's your fee, how many hours this and that.
01:06:23.545 --> 01:06:26.155
And then I thought: I want an arranger.
01:06:26.465 --> 01:06:33.474
And so I contacted my dear friend and colleague David Hamlin, who made three wonderful arrangements for the songs.
01:06:33.625 --> 01:06:35.525
He knows me, he knows my voice.
01:06:35.545 --> 01:06:42.054
And so I honestly put together my dream team and said, I need all this money.
01:06:42.054 --> 01:06:46.875
And so I launched as you know, my fundraising campaign.
01:06:47.954 --> 01:06:50.114
I got all the money I needed.
01:06:50.144 --> 01:06:51.224
I can't remember what you used.
01:06:51.224 --> 01:06:52.005
What did you use?
01:06:52.034 --> 01:06:53.414
It's called Indiegogo.
01:06:53.534 --> 01:06:53.864
Okay.
01:06:54.315 --> 01:06:56.795
Yeah, it's a great platform.
01:06:56.885 --> 01:07:03.454
And I also asked people like colleagues of mine that had recorded albums and had used that platform.
01:07:04.244 --> 01:07:05.295
It works great.
01:07:05.414 --> 01:07:14.574
And something that was very important for me is that, with my producer and everybody involved, I wanted them to be paid fairly and right.
01:07:14.644 --> 01:07:17.164
I didn't want to bargain, I didn't bargain with anybody.
01:07:17.554 --> 01:07:21.704
Because it was important for me, to know, okay, we're in the middle of a pandemic.
01:07:22.184 --> 01:07:26.385
I need to give people work and, and work that is rewarded fairly.
01:07:26.684 --> 01:07:27.135
Right.
01:07:27.585 --> 01:07:30.565
And so, and that was my priority.
01:07:30.614 --> 01:07:34.304
Because I have been there always and you know, that's the way I live.
01:07:34.755 --> 01:07:45.125
It is important for me that when I'm in charge, I'm going to make sure everybody is happy, with this project, being involved and then with our pay because why not?
01:07:45.125 --> 01:07:45.394
Right.
01:07:45.394 --> 01:07:47.284
It's what we do is our work.
01:07:47.315 --> 01:07:47.764
Yes.
01:07:47.914 --> 01:07:50.474
So that gave me a lot of happiness.
01:07:50.505 --> 01:07:55.364
And so in December of 2020, we completed the album, we recorded eight songs.
01:07:55.905 --> 01:08:01.405
Blanton was so happy with the product, he said, okay, we need to find a record label.
01:08:01.434 --> 01:08:04.284
And I, that was not in my map.
01:08:04.494 --> 01:08:06.385
You know, I was like independent.
01:08:06.414 --> 01:08:06.744
Yeah.
01:08:06.925 --> 01:08:08.335
Just so my mom can hear it.
01:08:08.844 --> 01:08:12.324
But he said, we need to find a record label because I think this is very good.
01:08:12.534 --> 01:08:13.585
He really liked it.
01:08:13.945 --> 01:08:17.034
And you know, to me, his words are golden.
01:08:17.965 --> 01:08:19.225
He's just wonderful.
01:08:19.225 --> 01:08:20.784
And I have learned so much from him.
01:08:20.835 --> 01:08:23.364
And so we started searching for a label.
01:08:24.215 --> 01:08:28.265
We wanted to find a label that could represent what this material is.
01:08:28.835 --> 01:08:31.114
We found a beautiful match.
01:08:31.265 --> 01:08:37.274
Now we are going to be releasing this album under Reference Recordings label.
01:08:37.664 --> 01:08:44.324
They are mainly a classical music label, but also do jazz and world music.
01:08:44.805 --> 01:08:50.085
And I am super happy to say that this is going to be their first album in Spanish they release.
01:08:50.295 --> 01:08:50.564
Yeah.
01:08:50.625 --> 01:08:55.545
And we will, for everyone listening, we will put the information, in the episode information.
01:08:55.545 --> 01:09:00.284
So if you would like to purchase this recording, we will give you the information to do that.
01:09:00.664 --> 01:09:00.965
Yeah.
01:09:01.095 --> 01:09:02.295
So I'm so happy about it.
01:09:02.324 --> 01:09:12.564
As I said, this is a huge learning curve and huge learning process because, it turns out that my eight songs didn't make a proper length for an album.
01:09:12.564 --> 01:09:16.685
And so this past September, we went back and added more songs, which is awesome.
01:09:16.734 --> 01:09:23.324
We are now in the process of editing and mixing and doing all of that, which is also, everything was a first time for me.
01:09:24.015 --> 01:09:28.524
And so we will release it, I think around May of next year.
01:09:29.005 --> 01:09:34.704
It's called Reencuentros or Reencounters, and I can't wait for everybody to hear it.
01:09:34.704 --> 01:09:44.734
I mean, I think it's wonderful music.Blanton that didn't know the songs, our engineer, and the people of reference recordings, They are only in love with this kind of music that they didn't know about.
01:09:44.835 --> 01:09:46.385
And so that tells me a lot.
01:09:46.395 --> 01:09:48.074
Cause all of them are American people.
01:09:48.074 --> 01:09:49.574
They are wonderful musicians.
01:09:49.625 --> 01:09:59.404
And so it tells me that I was right with wanting to bring this repertoire back to life and bring it to people that don't know it.
01:09:59.404 --> 01:10:05.225
I think the more people I talk to, so many have these full circle moments, right?
01:10:05.255 --> 01:10:12.515
Where, you know, for you, you're embarking on this very exciting, but totally new territory kind of project.
01:10:13.024 --> 01:10:18.604
But the core of the project is music that is like literally a part of you.
01:10:18.935 --> 01:10:28.604
So it's this blend of the very beginnings of your life mixed with this very mature and developed, exciting new venture.
01:10:28.604 --> 01:10:29.765
And I just love that.
01:10:29.765 --> 01:10:34.654
So I am so excited for you to see how this makes its mark in the world.
01:10:34.654 --> 01:10:35.555
Cause I know it will.
01:10:36.215 --> 01:10:36.425
Yeah.
01:10:36.574 --> 01:10:46.854
I am very happy that this is happening because it has also showed me how much people believe in me because of all the support that I have gotten.
01:10:47.324 --> 01:10:57.774
And also how much, what I am and who I am and where I come from gives me like all these strengths, right?
01:10:57.805 --> 01:11:10.555
What you just said is so important for really anyone to hear, we try to emphasize this a lot in the arts is everybody thinks about, oh, the people who are most successful in the arts are the people who are the most talented.
01:11:11.064 --> 01:11:12.444
And there's some truth to that.
01:11:13.375 --> 01:11:25.345
But the people who want to work with you, want to work with you because of who you are and how you treat them and how you conduct yourself and just where your heart is.
01:11:25.345 --> 01:11:34.774
And I think through this whole conversation, when you're talking about you wanted to pay the musicians fairly, and you wanted to make something of quality, even if you were thinking it's just for your Mom to hear it.
01:11:34.774 --> 01:11:37.654
Like just everything that you're bringing into this as an artist.
01:11:37.654 --> 01:11:39.425
And then you're saying, that people support you.
01:11:40.159 --> 01:11:43.699
I hope everyone's hearing, they're not just supporting her because she's a good singer.
01:11:44.300 --> 01:11:47.420
There is so much more to this as to who she is.
01:11:47.750 --> 01:12:00.100
Artists need to keep that in mind, that the way you treat people and how you are to work with is just as important to being successful in your career as your raw talent in your art.
01:12:00.880 --> 01:12:01.119
Yeah.
01:12:01.539 --> 01:12:04.000
No, that's totally true.
01:12:04.000 --> 01:12:06.130
And thank you for your words.
01:12:06.560 --> 01:12:19.229
I also discovered that, usually we as immigrants or a Spanish speaking people, or wherever you come from, sometimes we think that we have to shed that part of our bodies, to blend and to belong.
01:12:19.529 --> 01:12:20.159
In this country?
01:12:20.159 --> 01:12:21.439
And yeah.
01:12:21.970 --> 01:12:25.029
I'm now switching to the immigrant experience again.
01:12:25.079 --> 01:12:31.500
I think something I have learned is that yes, you have to do what you have to do.
01:12:31.500 --> 01:12:31.890
Right.
01:12:31.949 --> 01:12:36.029
Working like, not necessarily to, I mean, to belong.
01:12:36.090 --> 01:12:36.390
Right.
01:12:36.390 --> 01:12:39.510
But, but to do the way things need to be done.
01:12:39.510 --> 01:12:39.989
Yes.
01:12:39.989 --> 01:12:41.489
You have to do your part.
01:12:42.329 --> 01:12:43.680
I had to do my part.
01:12:44.609 --> 01:12:58.135
I don't need to run away from my culture from my identity, because that is in a way what makes me special, what makes me unique in the way I can portray it.
01:12:58.645 --> 01:13:00.715
I think it's important to embrace that.
01:13:00.744 --> 01:13:10.284
And what makes me feel so proud about this album is precisely the fact that I'm just, like you said, right?
01:13:10.284 --> 01:13:15.085
Like I'm embracing who I am and where I come from and all those beginnings.
01:13:15.085 --> 01:13:17.034
And it's extremely personal.
01:13:17.725 --> 01:13:25.975
While at the same time I'm putting together this beautiful team of people that I have met through my years in the United States.
01:13:26.244 --> 01:13:31.795
They're all wonderful American people that I have had the pleasure to work with in the past.
01:13:32.064 --> 01:13:36.364
And that I definitely wanted them to be part of this project.
01:13:36.635 --> 01:13:39.395
And so to me, it's like putting worlds together.
01:13:39.935 --> 01:13:46.654
There's just like a huge amount of satisfaction that comes from doing something like that, the way I want to do it.
01:13:46.845 --> 01:13:54.210
And that I know it's going to be of quality, but also a big amount of beauty and personal stuff.
01:13:54.460 --> 01:13:56.770
Cecy, thank you so much for joining us today.
01:13:56.770 --> 01:13:59.050
It's just such a beautiful story.
01:13:59.050 --> 01:14:04.970
We had many wonderful moments today that I know will resonate with people and be encouraging to people.
01:14:04.970 --> 01:14:06.350
And your path is not done.
01:14:06.350 --> 01:14:21.229
You still have a lot of exciting things ahead, which we will all be excited to see about and we will put your website and social media handles in the episode information so people can follow along and see what's going to happen next because it's going to be awesome.
01:14:21.350 --> 01:14:22.430
I'm excited to see it.
01:14:23.390 --> 01:14:31.010
Thank you so much for inviting me and for this like loving conversation, and for giving me this opportunity to share my journey.
01:14:31.399 --> 01:14:34.819
I think it would probably will need another podcast for what's coming next.
01:14:34.880 --> 01:14:35.420
Yes.
01:14:35.930 --> 01:14:37.189
I was just thinking that.
01:14:37.270 --> 01:14:38.350
Yeah, absolutely.
01:14:38.739 --> 01:14:41.939
A continuation, but thank you so much, Carrie.
01:14:41.970 --> 01:14:42.470
Thank you.
01:14:43.720 --> 01:14:45.310
Do you know someone I should interview?
01:14:45.760 --> 01:14:50.590
Please DM me on Instagram@pathsinprogresspodcast and let me know who I should talk to.
01:14:51.159 --> 01:14:54.220
I would love to hear about how these stories are impacting your journey.
01:14:54.699 --> 01:14:59.710
Please follow Paths in Progress wherever you download your podcasts and leave a review to let me know what you think.
01:15:00.539 --> 01:15:04.979
You can also follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn at Paths in Progress Podcast.
01:15:05.399 --> 01:15:08.930
Our music is by John Grimmett and the artwork is by Edgar Alanis.
01:15:09.239 --> 01:15:10.619
Thanks again for joining me today.