Los Angeles’s Verdi Chorus kicks off its 39th season with a concert dedicated to the memory of their patriarch Maestro Aurelio De La Vega
By Cris Franco
Cuban-born, Aurelio de la Vega taught, mentored and inspired students, performers and artists, including visual artists whom he encouraged and patronized. Testimonies abound of both his generosity and his uncanny ability to affect lives, both personally and through his music. “He was one of those people you must remember as ‘before and after’,” one of his students remarked. In addition to his work as a composer, de la Vega distinguished himself as poet, essayist and human rights advocate.
In 1959, the mature composer moved permanently to Los Angeles. The fall of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship had caught him in the middle of a U.S. lecture tour, after which he returned to Havana. But after a brief stay, the hostile context he found persuaded him to emigrate. In the U.S., once he had become a citizen, de la Vega became a vocal critic of the Castro regime, particularly its dismal record of human rights abuses and persecution of dissident artists and intellectuals, all of which had contributed to the destruction of a free Cuban culture. In reaction, de la Vega saw his ever-growing catalog and world-wide acclaim banned consistently in Cuba from all mention and performance, including air waves. Only in 2009, half a century after going into exile, as an overdue recognition of lifetime achievement, was Intrata (1972), one of his more ambitious works, performed publicly in Havana by the Cuban National Orchestra.
A prolific composer, lecturer, essayist, and poet. His impressive catalog includes orchestral, chamber, vocal, piano and electronic works and his commissions were sought the world over. Throughout his long career he garnered numerous recognitions, among them the Friedheim Award of the Kennedy Center for the performing arts which he received twice (1978, 1984), the Cintas Foundation William B. Warren Lifetime Achievement Award; the Carlos Vo Hispanic Imperial Order, of which he was made a member; and four nominations to the Latin Grammy Awards, three times for Best Classical Contemporary Composition and once for Best Classical Album.
In his honor, the Verdi Chorus has just announced the Maestro Aurelio De La Vega Guest Artist Fund which will provide enhanced funding for guests artists that perform with the group. Chorus President Frank Strauss said, “Aurelio De La Vega was a key figure for both the classical music world and the Verdi Chorus itself. One of his greatest joys was discovering and nurturing talent. During his life, he personally sponsored the guest sopranos that sang with the Verdi Chorus. This new fund, created in his honor, will extend into the future financial support to all guest artists who sing with the Verdi Chorus, and will serve as a way to continue the Maestro’s important legacy.”
Of their spring concert, titled “Hélas mon Coeur” (Alas my heart) conductor Anne Marie Ketchum says, “The title for this program feels appropriate on so many levels. Aside from being the title of one of the most beautiful ensembles from Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, the phrase itself, ‘Alas, my heart’ sums up both the losses we have all experienced over the past two years, and the bittersweet hope for what lies ahead as we launch our 39th season. It’s a strong and emotive program which our three sensational guest artists including renowned baritone Roberto Perlas Gómez who, with over 100 roles to his credit, has performed extensively throughout the United States.”
Performance times are Saturday, May 14 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, May 15 at 2:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica, located at 1220 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401.
Tickets are available for purchase at www.verdichorus.org.