Happy news: Pianist raises tenor from despair to major stage
mainTwo years ago, the international pianist Gabriela Montero took it upon herself to help a young tenor who lived in fear for his life in the state of chaos that goes by the name Venezuela.
Gabi and her husband Sam McElroy took Luis Magallanes to their home in Dublin and secured him tuition and auditions. Placido Domingo and Tara Eraught willingly lent support.
This weekend, Zurich Opera accepted Luis Magallanes into its studio, where he will work with the world’s leading artists and appear in main-stage productions.
Gabi says: ‘The success and happiness of Luis and his girlfriend, Dayana, should be a reason for pride and joy for all Venezuelans. They symbolize the best of our Venezuela and that’s why it is worth helping and loving them along this difficult path that is life.’
That terrible Placido Domingo…
Hey did you not read that Plácido lent support too! Or do you just make stupid comments
Ever heard of irony? Apparently not…
I understood. I am from a time in which even stupid people understood irony.
I think Phillipe is being sarcastic.
I think Phillipe was being ironic. Irony is so easily misunderstood, I think it should be banned from this site. (Of course I’m just being ironic, get it?)
You just don’t understand irony, do you?
Take a breath guy, no one rpt NO ONE!! has successfully proven Domingo’s guilt. And as we all know, it’s the very cheapest and the easiest way to get great press coverage ain’t it?!!!
Jack – you might also want to take a breath. Just a thought.
Great story. May it be an example to be followed.
Thanks for sharing, SD. Full story here. Hopefully people will enjoy it for what it is – just a beautiful and sometimes challenging intervention with a joyous outcome, thanks to the kindness of so many wonderful strangers and friends alike…
https://www.facebook.com/40222756901/posts/10157380038531902/?d=n
Here’s another story about a singer helped by Gabriela and her husband
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/aria-code/episodes/aria-code-rossini-cenerentola-joyce-didonato
Who caused Venezuela’s problems As usual American financial and other sanctions.
Lift your eyes up from the keyboard occasionally see whats happening in the world.
If she lifts her eyes too much from the keyboard, her performances will begin to suffer.
Not only is she a wonderful & inventive pianist but she is also a wonderful human being. Also as borne out on SD her marvelous tribute to the recently deceased Hamish Milne.
I attended a Montero “piano bash” at QUB Belfast, part of the Belfast Music Society concerts. She played an odd mixture including her own improvisations, in the second part she asked the audience for some themes to doodle on. I gave her a copy of the song Mein Herr Marquis from Die Fledermaus, she thought no one knew and refused. I also suggested the Prelude to Vertigo by Bernard Hermann!
When she came to Spokane she asked for ideas from the audience. Someone suggested an American folk song I’d never heard, something with “Harvest Moon” in the title. She didn’t know it, but she got the person to sing it to her, then sat down and gave it her full Liszt/Rachmaninoff treatment. It was pretty impressive — as was her Schumann concerto, which earned her the encore in the first place.