美高梅故事

的 Music Plays On: 美高梅 Alum Continues 他的 Rise in Opera Despite Global 流感大流行

麦肯齐·莱克（McKenzie Lakey）著

的 hustle and bustle of 阿姆斯特丹 played out behind 美高梅 alum Jose Simerilla Romero as several masked figures walked around him, huddled in light jackets as the summer air slipped into chilly fall temperatures in the evening. 在这短暂的 reprieve in his busy rehearsal schedule for the Dutch National Opera, Jose reflected on the past year, which has been filled with twists and turns for the opera world, as the entertainment industry was rocked by COVID-19.

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

选拔赛

Out of breath and racing through New York City, Jose knew that only a few minutes of performance time stood between him and an opportunity to share his talent internationally with one of the top operatic companies in the world.

Although hesitant at first about moving overseas after a recent bout of travel for performances, a friend convinced Jose to audition for a chance to join an opera company in 柏林、慕尼黑或都灵 (Italy) for the 2020-2021 season. 经过简短的讨论， Jose decided to give it a shot and hopped on a plane from his hometown in Florida and hustled to New York in the middle of January.

However, he realized quickly upon his arrival that the odds were against him. 他的 performance shoes were stolen along with his luggage, and with no time to spare, he threw on his sneakers, hailed an Uber, and made his way across town to the audition. But with the way his journey had been unfurling, Jose’s day was only about to get bumpier, and before he knew it, his Uber ride blew out a tire.

In his dress clothes and sneakers, he got out of the car and helped his driver change the tire, chilling his voice and leaving him in an undesirably cold environment on the side of the road in New York just moments before his big audition. 有磨损的 nerves, a cold voice and no dress shoes, Jose finally arrived at the venue with just enough time to run through the doors and be called to the stage.

“I was in a low-confidence place before the audition,” Jose said. “我的鞋子被偷了 … I was dirty, sweaty, my voice wasn’t warm, and I had to run up three flights of 去试镜的楼梯. 我是一团糟.”

But as he got on stage and gave it his all, he began to feel that something may have 终于开始向右走了. A few moments into his audition song, Jose noticed that someone had taken out her phone out to record his performance.

Luckily, he had one more chance to dazzle his audience. 在短暂的喘息之后 backstage, and the support of an unknown “angel” who made him tea and helped curb his anxiety, he took the stage once again.

在那之后，一切都结束了.

Jose didn’t know whether he had made the final cut. 他不知道几率是否 working against him that morning had left him short of achieving a position with one of the three companies auditioning performers that day, and he didn’t know what the 未来在等着他. 于是他飞回家等待. 等. 后 couple weeks had passed, he began to accept that maybe he didn’t make the cut.

“If you give yourself the chance to go out there and perform, the worst thing they 我能做的就是说不，”何塞说. “的re are a lot of singers out there, just like there are several brands, and sometimes people won’t like your product. 你不能接受 就我个人而言.”

Just as he was moving on and making other plans, a call finally came, but not from 柏林、慕尼黑或都灵. Instead, there was a representative from a fourth company in the audience that day in New York, and, as it turned out, that rep, from the Dutch 国家歌剧院，很喜欢他.

职业生涯的开始

Born in Argentina and living in Spain before moving to the U.S. 六岁时， 何塞很早就接触到歌剧. With the voices of European greats such as Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti filling his home, Jose’s musical talents were driven by nothing more than a passion for singing and the joy 的歌剧 that his father instilled 在他. Although he seemed destined to land in an artistic career, his goal while attending 美高梅 as a dual enrollment student was to become a graphic designer.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I always played piano by ear and would sing 为了好玩，”何塞说. “澳门美高梅网上赌场官网就像是一个发射台. 年轻的歌手进来了 and see if it’s something they want to do, and that’s where I got my start.”

It was at Valencia that Jose crossed paths with adjunct music professor Juan Martinez. Martinez, along with a few other professors within the music department, were some of the first people outside of Jose’s supportive family to recognize his talent. 的 Valencia instructors soon realized there was so much more to Jose than just his voice, and they took notice of the spark and ambition that lived with在他.

“He understood very early that to be successful in this career you have to not only be a good singer, you need to be a good musician and a good actor,” Martinez said. “He was born with this incredible voice and all I did was teach him to sing.”

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

“I challenged him and demanded more of him because I knew he would go far,” Martinez 回忆. “的re’s a little breath of fresh air when you plant this seed and water it and see the fruit grow … I’m proud that I could contribute even a small fraction 为他的成长和事业干杯.”

Building on the foundation of his musical education roots from Valencia, Jose decided to expand upon his learning and pursued his bachelor’s degree at Stetson University. While there, the opportunity of a lifetime happened, and one of the legendary voices that had once filled his childhood home was 就我个人而言 requesting that he audition for a coveted position in a young artists program across the country.

Plácido Domingo had recognized Jose’s talent from his own “Operalia”, an international opera competition, and asked his nephew tp call Jose 就我个人而言 to convince him to audition for the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artists Residency Program at the LA Opera. Soon he was faced with a tough decision: Should he continue his education in person at Stetson University, or juggle the program and complete his degree while living 在洛杉矶?

“我只是流口水，”何塞回忆说. “I’m just this 20-year-old kid who taught himself how to sing through his dad’s CDs and I got this position alongside people who have 完成硕士学位.”

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

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

But stepping out of the spotlight didn’t mean Jose was taking a backseat in the world 的歌剧. On the contrary, since then, he has worked to fine tune his skills elsewhere, and his voice has taken him around the globe. In the past few years, Jose has performed 从科罗拉多州的阿斯彭开始., to Vienna, Austria, and in renowned venues such as Carnegie 和纽约的林肯中心. Looking back on it all, every decision led to the next as they guided him to his current position of a year-long residency in 阿姆斯特丹.

演出必须继续

的 Dutch National Opera Studio, the young artists program that Jose has been accepted into in 阿姆斯特丹, started two years ago in 2018. 该组织由国际组织领导 renowned soprano Rosemary Joshua, who serves as the artistic leader.

Jose is one of eight international talents currently in the Studio program, working toward establishing his career and growing as a performer despite COVID-19 and the ruthless toll it has taken on performing arts.

Funded partially by a scholarship from the New York Opera 基金会 to continue his studies with the Dutch National Opera Studio, Jose acknowledged that the program is intense, but will fill his schedule with plenty of time to hone his craft over the 明年.

“的 money is the weakest piece,” Jose said. “的 greatest reward out of these auditions, performances and opportunities is the connection you get with others in the industry.”

Jose would be the first to tell you that, as with all careers in entertainment, there 一路上会有高潮和低谷吗. However, no one was able to predict the harsh impact of a global pandemic that crept up on the industry. 美高梅COVID-19继续肆虐 eviscerate the arts and entertainment industry, Jose has managed to find a lucky break in the midst of the pandemic with his position at the Studio.

“的 coronavirus cancelled everything, and a lot of my friends are in a position of not knowing what to do, wondering how they’ll pay their bills,” Jose said. “我数 my blessings every day that I have this opportunity.”