{"id":91365,"date":"2021-10-05T13:00:48","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T17:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=91365"},"modified":"2022-09-01T11:17:32","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T15:17:32","slug":"una-voz-one-voice","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2021\/una-voz-one-voice\/","title":{"rendered":"Una Voz\/One Voice"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-emphasis-on-text has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-secondary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-scaled.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-002-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Music<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUna Voz\/One Voice\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Mario Ar\u00e9valo realized his dream of becoming an opera singer. Now he\u2019s focused on helping the next generation of Latin American musical talent.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/mara-sassoon\/\">Mara Sassoon<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"Photos by\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/sonya-revell\/\">Sonya Revell<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p><strong>When opera tenor Mario Ar\u00e9valo<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>was a young child,<\/strong>&nbsp;the thought of leaving his El Salvador hometown\u2014let alone pursuing a career in music\u2014was unfathomable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was from a poor family, living in a very poor area,\u201d he says. \u201cMy options were limited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The son of a single mother, Ar\u00e9valo (\u201909) was a natural performer growing up, always dancing and singing for friends and extended family in his small town of San Vicente. \u201cI just did it for fun. It wasn\u2019t something I ever thought I could develop beyond a hobby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ar\u00e9valo has come a long way from those impromptu recitals he put on as a child. He\u2019s performed in operas around the world\u2014from Canada to Austria to Italy, founded an arts organization in 2016 that elevates the work of Latin American musicians and artists, and is now working to help build a theater and arts center to nurture the next generation of musical talent in his hometown. \u201cI can\u2019t believe what this small project I started five years ago has become,\u201d says Ar\u00e9valo. \u201cI\u2019m excited to see where I can go with it next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>A Dream Forms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1991, when Ar\u00e9valo was eight, his mother left him and San Vicente for the United States, determined to make a better life for the two of them. He went to live with his grandmother for the next six years, before he finally was reunited with his mother on Long Island, New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[My mother] came to the US without papers, then obtained residency when she got married and brought me [here]. At first, as a child, I didn\u2019t understand anything, but now I tell her that I understand her sacrifices,\u201d he told&nbsp;<em>Noticias Telemundo<\/em>&nbsp;in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ar\u00e9valo began high school in New York knowing only a few words of English. The transition was jarring. He was taking ESL classes and trying to catch up on his credits in order to graduate on time. When he was told he needed to take an arts class, he joined his high school\u2019s choir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was there he met a teacher who would change the trajectory of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d say that\u2019s where my opera dreams began,\u201d Ar\u00e9valo says. \u201cIt\u2019s all thanks to my choir teacher, Ms. Robin Hall.\u201d She provided Ar\u00e9valo a safe haven as he adjusted to life in the US and eventually encouraged him to pursue a degree in vocal performance at the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase. \u201cShe really spent time getting to know me, and helped me to achieve what I wanted to do with my singing. She went beyond teaching. She protected me, she cared about me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At college, Ar\u00e9valo began to see music as a possible career, particularly after working with an opera company that performed with the American Symphony Orchestra. \u201cIt was my first paid gig and I was just like, \u2018Oh my God, I now know I am totally made for this.\u2019 I thought one day I could be doing what the principals in the opera are doing if I work hard enough. But I also thought I still needed to learn some more to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-parallax magazine-block-editorial-parallax alignfull has-background-color-secondary has-box-color-secondary has-object-cover-center-middle is-style-content-left-split\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-parallax-media\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-parallax-background-image\"><\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-parallax-figure js-block-editorial-parallax-active\" data-rellax-speed=\"-5\" data-rellax-percentage=\"0.5\"><picture class=\"wp-block-editorial-parallax-picture\"><source media=\"(max-height: 480px)\" srcset=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-854x480.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(max-height: 720px)\" srcset=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1280x720.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(max-height: 768px)\" srcset=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1366x768.jpg\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-parallax-image wp-image-91384\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1920x1080.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1984x1116.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/21-1275-CFAAREVALO-005-854x480.jpg 854w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/picture><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-parallax-content-outer\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-parallax-content-inner\">\n<h3>Ar\u00e9valo, photographed at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., credits his high school choir teacher for encouraging him to pursue a career in music.<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A master\u2019s program felt like the right next step. Ar\u00e9valo auditioned at CFA and credits instructors like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/profile\/penelope-bitzas\/\">Penelope Bitzas<\/a>, an associate professor of music, voice, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/profile\/shiela-kibbe\/\">Shiela Kibbe<\/a>, an associate professor of music, piano, with helping him find the confidence to embark on his opera career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey both helped me discover myself as a singer and become a real musician. They pushed me\u2014I don\u2019t think I would be where I am today if it weren\u2019t for what I learned at BU.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Opera and Beyond<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As his graduation from CFA approached, Ar\u00e9valo received a call from the&nbsp;International Opera Theater, a company that brings singers and instrumentalists from all around the world together to perform on one stage. They offered him an audition for a new play,&nbsp;<em>Jago<\/em>, by Italian composer Carlo Pedini, which tells the story of Iago (Jago in Italian), the villain in&nbsp;<em>Othello<\/em>. He snagged the role of Hassan\/Guardiano. \u201cThey found me on Myspace of all places,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was an amazing production to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, Ar\u00e9valo moved to New York. Auditions began opening up for him, and he went on to perform in productions with the New York City Opera, Virginia Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. But gradually, he started to notice something missing from the performance opportunities he encountered. \u201cThere were chances to sing Italian, French, German, Russian repertoire, all these different languages. But I didn\u2019t see anything from the Latin American repertoire. And I thought, \u2018What is going on with that? Why are people not performing it?\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cThere are so many incredible Latin American composers and musicians, like [Argentinian composers] [Carlos] Guastavino and [Alberto] Ginastera. And not a lot of people perform or even know about their work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ar\u00e9valo wanted to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2016, he founded the organization&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/unavozunmundo.org\/\">Una Voz, Un Mundo<\/a>\u2014One Voice, One World\u2014dedicated to amplifying the work of Latin American musicians and composers. His first effort was organizing a show at a New York City church, which featured seven performers. \u201cThe church was absolutely filled with people. It was so great to see. I was just trying to create a platform for Latin American musicians to have a stage, but I realized there was so much I could do with the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote magazine-block-bu-pullquote alignwide is-style-modern has-image-focus-center-middle has-secondary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">I didn&#8217;t see anything from the Latin American repertoire. And I thought, \u2018What is going on with that? Why are people not performing it?\u2019<\/div><footer class=\"caption\"><\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As Una Voz, Un Mundo grew, offering master classes and more performances around New York, it caught the attention of Carlos Garc\u00eda, the secretary general of the United Nations Association of El Salvador, which in 2018 named Ar\u00e9valo its goodwill ambassador for fine arts and culture. Since stepping into that role, Ar\u00e9valo has broadened the focus of Una Voz, Un Mundo to also work on elevating the arts in his home country. He started setting aside portions of proceeds from shows and recitals to purchase instruments to donate to schools in El Salvador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve already donated more than 100 instruments to various schools, and now my goal is to expand our efforts and help other small schools around Latin America,\u201d he says. \u201cThis role has shown me I\u2019m not only a singer, I\u2019m not only a performer, but I also have a voice to impact new generations of musicians. There is so much potential out there, and all these younger generations need are opportunities. That\u2019s why I see Una Voz, Un Mundo being a voice for so many things\u2014it can be a voice for power, a voice for help, a voice for beautiful music, a voice for unity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Back to San Vicente<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A few months before the pandemic broke out, Ar\u00e9valo moved to Miami, Fla., to begin rehearsals for the world premiere of a new musical called&nbsp;<em>Always Remember<\/em>. The show was canceled as theaters closed, and since then Ar\u00e9valo has been participating in only virtual productions. In the meantime, he has focused on growing Una Voz, Un Mundo. The organization recently attained nonprofit status, and Ar\u00e9valo has partnered with an organization in San Vicente called SanviPuede to help get a theater and arts center built in the town (the town\u2019s previous theater was destroyed in an earthquake in 2001 and has remained in ruins since).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey reached out to me because they\u2019ve been working to get this theater built for 20 years. I wanted to be that voice to help them, to give back to my community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ar\u00e9valo appealed to local politicians for help. They\u2019ve now secured the $1.5 million needed to build the facilities\u2014which will include music, art, and ballet studios, a computer lab, and a library, in addition to the new theater\u2014but have been navigating changes in the local government and pandemic-related construction delays before ground can finally be broken. \u201cIt\u2019s already been designed, and it\u2019s incredible,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019ll be a place where kids can come to develop themselves artistically. This will be so important for everybody, but especially for the children of San Vicente.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When opera tenor Mario Ar\u00e9valo&nbsp;was a young child,&nbsp;the thought of leaving his El Salvador hometown\u2014let alone pursuing a career in music\u2014was unfathomable. \u201cI was from a poor family, living in a very poor area,\u201d he says. \u201cMy options were limited.\u201d The son of a single mother, Ar\u00e9valo (\u201909) was a natural performer growing up, always [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6245,"featured_media":91381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[372,377,371],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[381],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/91365"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91365"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/91365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92715,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/91365\/revisions\/92715"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91365"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=91365"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=91365"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=91365"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=91365"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=91365"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=91365"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=91365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}