Awards
She has received several awards including: Best Singer from the Music and Theater Critics and Journalists Union (2006), Revelación Juvenil and Luis Girón May (for the finest interpretation) in the XI National Carlo Morelli Singing Contest (1993); she came in second place in the VIII Francisco Araiza Contest in1995. Thanks to her star performance as Christine in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, she received the 1999 Musical Protagonist award from the Theatre Journalists Circle, besides receiving the Gabino Barreda Medal awarded by the National Autonomous University of Mexico to the most talented graduate in 2001.
Opera
Her operatic debut was as Adina in L’elisir d’amore by Donizetti, conducted by Enrique Patron de Rueda in the 1994 Sinaloa Cultural Festival. Since then, she has had frequent stage appearances in roles such as Micaela, Musetta, Susanna, Madeline, Rosina, Pamina, besides in numerous first performances of chamber operas in Mexico, such as Flor in El pequeño príncipe by Federico Ibarra; as Silvia in Joseph Haydn’s L’isola disabitata; as Maria in Monkey see, Monkey do by Robert Xavier Rodriguez ; as Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck, 1762 Vienna version; in Leonard Bernstein’s version of Trouble in Tahiti adapted for a jazz trio; as Arianna in Il Giustino by Vivaldi; as Eleonora in Prima la musica, poi le parole by Salieri. She has interpreted Marina in Arrieta’s Marina; Leïla in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles; as Adele in Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus; as Amore in the 1774 version of Orfeo ed Euridice and as Inés de Medina in Ambrosio by J. A. Guzmán, all with the National Opera Company. In the Wagnerian Tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen, performed in Bellas Artes Opera House for the Mexico City Historical Centre Festival she interpreted Freia, Helmwige, Waldvogel and Woglinde, to become the only Mexican in the cast performing continually in these historical productions. She also sang the part of Amy in the international premier of the opera Little Women by Mark Adamo. Furthermore, she sang in the world premier of Séneca o Todo nos es ajeno by Marcela Rodriguez as Paulina/Marcia/Julia and as Estela in Lazos by Mariana Villanueva.
Oratorio and symphonic repertory
She has sung with several distinguished Mexican orchestras in works such Bach’s Magnificat, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem, Coronation Mass and Solemn Vespers, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Egmond, Ninth Symphony and Choral Fantasy, Grieg’s Peer Gynt, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Sibelius’ Luonnotar and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. She has also interpreted numerous baroque works of New Spain, some of which were performed for the first time in public.
Recitals
She has given a number of recitals throughout Mexico and Switzerland with varied programmes of Lied, mélodie and Mexican music. In Switzerland she has performed with the harpist Giovanna Pessi, with Doris Benmaman on the laud, Babette Mondry on the organ and Natalie Leuenberger on the clavichord. It’s worth to point out the recital of the unusual repertory in Mexico dedicated to the composer Kapsberger with the theorbist Krishnasol Jimenez.
Professional recordings
She has participated in several CD recordings throughout her career, which include: six CDs of Mexican Baroque Music (México Barroco series, Urtext Digital Classics label); Brazilian music by the composer Hector Villa-Lobos; a Spanish version of the musical Phantom of the Opera for the recording company SONY, besides her participation in the commemorative recording for XXV anniversary of the Ars Antiqua group. A particularly notable achievement was her CD Voces de Tierra (Urtext) of chamber music and solo voice dedicated to the Mexican composers Eduardo Gamboa, Julio César Oliva, Samuel Zyman, Isaac Saul and Kavindu (Alejandro Velasco). This project resulted from her interest in contemporary concert compositions and her enthusiasm inspired new works, some of which were written especially for her voice. She also figures in the album Ah by the composer Kavindu. She interpreted Julia, Paulina and Marcia in the recording of Séneca, o Todo nos es ajeno by the Mexican composer Marcela Rodriguez.
Chamber music
Irasema has collaborated with various chamber music ensembles and other musical groups for concerts and operas, and include the Percutoris Percussion Orchestra, the Anahuac del Sur Quartet, the University Clarinet Quintet, the Juan Jose Caltayud Jazz Trio, the Mexico City Chamber Music Ensemble, the Ensemble Signos and the Ensemble Ludere. She is also a founder member of the Vocal Soloists Quartet ‘Arveiros’.
Baroque music
Irasema has sung with various mexican and european Baroque Music Groups such as: La Fontegara, La Real Cámara de España, Angelicum de Puebla, Collegium Musicum Bach, Ars Cantata, Concierto Barroco and she also toured with Ars Antiqua in 1999 for a series of concerts in Bolivia.
Conductors and Orchestras
She has sung under conductors such as Enrique Ricci, Guido Maria Guida, Jorge Velasco, Arturo Diemecke, Enrique Batiz, Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Carlos Lomónaco, Jose Arean, Jesus Medina, Carlos Spierer, Jacob Chi, Gordon Campbell, Enrique Patron de Rueda, Paul Nadler, Ramon Shade, Fernando Lozano, Enrique Barrios, Michael Meissner, Benjamin Juarez Echenique, Javier Garcia Vigil, Carlos Garcia Ruiz, Jose Guadalupe Flores and Salvador Carballeda, who have invited her to participate with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Mexico City Philharmonic, the State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfónica de Minería, the Bellas Artes Theatre Orchestra, the Bellas Artes Chamber Orchestra, the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra, the Jalisco Philharmonic, the Nuevo Leon Philharmonic, the State of Chihuahua Philharmonic, the Carlos Chavez Symphony, the Miquel Hidalgo Symphony, the IPN Symphony, the Sinaloa Arts Symphony, the Viva Vivaldi Festival Orchestra, and the Oaxaca Symphony Orchestra.
Her musical development has been guided by Arthur Masella, Sergio Vela, Benjamin Cann, Peter Webster, Juliana Faesler, Jose Gurrola, Marielle Kahn, Enrique Rodriguez, Jose Antonio Morales, Daniel Helfgot, Luis Martin Solis, Gerardo Moscoso, Mabel Garza, Victor A. Fernandez, Miguel Alonso and Andres Campos.
Theatre
Apart from her singing career, Irasema has now become a stage actress under the auspices of Francisco Franco, Erendira Bringas and Jaime Matarredona having participated in Master Class by Terrence McNally as Sophie de Palma, which was about the opera singer Maria Callas, that ran the long season from March 1997 to April 1998. She acted as Ella in Estación by Claudia Rios. She is presently acting Woman 1 and 3 in The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, she joined the cast in October 2003.
Musicals
Irasema took the title role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, produced by the Theatre Division of the CIE: Ocesa Entretenimiento and The Really Useful Theater Company Ltd. from December 1999 to January 2001. This performance won her an award for the best Musical Protagonist in the Theatre Journalist’s Circle. She was also invited to alternate the interpretation of Cosette in the musical Los Miserables (2004), mounted by Ocesa Entretenimiento and Cameron Mackintosh.
Music Festivals
Irasema has participated in various International Music Festivals held in Mexico, such as: Música y Escena, Mexico City Historic Centre, Campeche Historic Centre, Valle de Bravo, Ancient Music of Santo Domingo, International Ancient Music Forum CENART, San Luis Potosi Baroque and Ancient Music Festival, 01 Arts Festival, International Art Forum for Operatic Staging 2002, Viva Vivaldi Festival 2004, New Music Forum ‘Manuel Enriquez’ 2004, XII Autumn Festival ‘Eduardo Mata’ in Oaxaca and the VII International Festival in Tamaulipas.
Voice-overs
Her vocal versatility has come to the attention of the Walt Disney creative team in Mexico for whom she has done the Spanish version of the various dialogues and songs of the characters such as: Madeleine in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, Thumbeline in The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbeline and Su in Mulan II.
Cinema Music
Irasema has sung in various films such as: El Crimen del Padre Amaro (Father Amaro’s Crime) by Carlos Carrera, with music by Rosino Serrano (2002); the short film De Mesmer con amor, o té para dos (From Mesmer with love, or Tea for Two) by Alejandro Lubezki and Salvador Aguirre, for which she recorded the aria ‘Casta diva’ from Bellini’s opera Norma (2002); the film called Conejo en la Luna (Rabbit in the Moon) by Jorge Ramírez Suárez, with various classic and romantic arias (2004); and the short film Espíritu deportivo (Sporting Spirit) by Javier Bourges, with music by Eduardo Gamboa.
Musical Education
Irasema began her musical education at a tender age under the tutelage of Jose Miramontes Zapata in Toluca, in the state of Mexico. Later she graduated with honours from the National School of Music where she was instructed by Enrique Jaso and Rufino Montero and where she was awarded the Gabino Barreda Medal. Periodically, she continued her vocal training with Manuel Peña in Mexico City.
She has complemented her formal training with further Master classes in Baroque interpretation with Nigel Rogers (1993 y 1994), Josep Cabré (1994), Bradley Brookshire (1996) and Charles Brett (1998). In a similar way she has attended classes for Lied interpretation imparted by Zeger Vandersteene (1994, 1995, 1997 y 1998) and for further vocalization interpretation with Francisco Araiza (1999).
She sang the roles of Giulia in La Scala di Seta by Rossini, Rita in Rita by Donizetti, Mademoiselle Silberklang in Die Schauspieldirektor by Mozart, Elisa in Il Re Pastore also by Mozart and Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach in the Mercedes Mendoza Opera Workshop in the National School of Music (1992-1996).
She pursued post graduate studies in Baroque music with the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basle, Switzerland where she lived for two years (2002, 2003) and where she received vocal training from the specialists Evelyn Tubb, Anthony Rooley and Gerd Türk.
Scholarships
Through the auspices of the Mexican Foreign Office, she won a scholarship for her post- graduate studies in Basle from the Swiss organization ESKAS –Eidgenössische Stipendienkommission für Ausländische Studierende of Basle University (2002-2003).
She also won a scholarship with SIVAM - International Society of Mexican Artists- within the Specialization for Young Talent Programme 2001-2002 with Denise Massé as the coach, Cesar Ulloa teaching vocal technique and Jose Caballero teaching acting. Irasema also took part in other courses organized by this society with Charles Rieker and Susan Young in 1998 and with Nico Castel and Joan Dorneman in 1999. |
