New York celebrates Victoria de los Ángeles’ legacy with a new edition of Victoria de los Ángeles Legacy at Juilliard and the launch of the American Friends of the Foundation
- On February 24, at the Tagore Gallery in New York, the American Friends of the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation programme will be officially presented, an initiative that engages American patrons in the Foundation’s work and strengthens cultural ties with the United States.
- The presentation of the American Friends, chaired by Kelly Tagore, will feature a recital by Nancy Fabiola Herrera and a small exhibition of dresses in dialogue with the work of digital artist Alba G. Corral, inspired by songs by Victoria de los Ángeles.
- On February 25, in collaboration with The Juilliard School, the second edition of Victoria de los Ángeles Legacy will come to a close, a training programme dedicated to Spanish and Catalan art song taught by Nancy Fabiola Herrera and Javier Arebola, with the recital A Spanish Liederabend at Paul Hall.
Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Victoria de los Ángeles’ debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, this week the Big Apple will host a range of activities celebrating the figure and legacy of the Catalan soprano, one of the great operatic legends of the 20th century.
Launch of the American Friends of the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation at the Tagore Gallery in New York
On Tuesday February 24, at 6:00 PM, at the Tagore Gallery in New York, the official presentation of the American Friends of the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation in New York will take place— a philanthropic initiative that engages American patrons in the Foundation’s work and strengthens cultural ties between the United States and the Foundation.
“This initiative arises naturally given the artistic relationship Victoria de los Ángeles had with the United States, which was uninterrupted from 1950, when she made her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York, until 1994, when she gave her final recital at Alice Tully Hall with Albert Guinovart”, according to Marc Busquets, the Foundation’s Artistic Director.
“Since the centenary in 2023, relationships with various New York institutions, such as the Met, Carnegie Hall and Juilliard itself, have grown stronger, so it is a natural step to involve these American Friends in the Foundation’s work”, adds Helena Mora, President of the Foundation.
The New York American Friends will be chaired by Kelly Tagore, a New York gallerist and great art lover who shares a very special connection with Victoria de los Ángeles. Her uncle, Nello Carlini, was a great fan of Victoria de los Ángeles and followed her around the world. Each time he saw her in a role, he sent her a tape with a pearl and the name of the role, but the soprano did not know who he was until one day they met, and their encounter was covered in the press. Carlini became a devoted follower and friend of Victoria, and his testimony was captured in the documentary ‘Brava, Victòria!’ by Maria Gorgues.“With this story behind it, I could not say no to an initiative that brings different arts together, and it is a pleasure to do it at the Tagore Gallery,” says Kelly Tagore.
For this launch, a very special evening has been prepared, combining different artistic facets. The mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera will offer a brief recital accompanied on guitar by Federico Díaz. In addition, there will be a small exhibition of the soprano’s dresses, in dialogue with pieces by digital artist Alba G. Corral on the traditional Catalan song El mariner and Damunt de tu només les flors by Frederic Mompou, in Victoria’s voice. The evening will be complemented by the screening, in one of the rooms, of the documentary ‘Brava, ¡Victòria!’, and a cocktail will be offered to all guests in the gallery itself.
Second edition of Victoria de los Ángeles Legacy at The Juilliard School in New York
The prestigious Juilliard School in New York, in collaboration with the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation, will conclude the Wednesday, February 25 at 6:00 PM the second edition of its Victoria de los Ángeles Legacy programme, an educational and artistic project dedicated to preserving and promoting Catalan and Spanish art song repertoire internationally—an objective Victoria de los Ángeles championed throughout her life. As a culmination of the Victoria de los Ángeles Legacy, a recital by the course participants will be offered in Juilliard’s renowned Paul Hall (February 25, 6:00 PM), titled A Spanish Liederabend, and this year centres on the figure of Federico García Lorca, whom Victoria performed so often. The recital may be followed via open streaming.
The programme consists of a series of masterclasses and coaching sessions held throughout the academic year and led by the renowned mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera, a Juilliard alumna and member of the Foundation’s Honorary Artistic Board of Trustees. Known for her captivating interpretation of Carmen—a role she has performed on numerous occasions at the Metropolitan Opera in New York—the mezzo-soprano brings extensive teaching experience and deep knowledge of the repertoire, together with a close connection to Victoria de los Ángeles, having taken part on many occasions in events organised by the Foundation.
For these sessions, she is joined by the renowned pianist Javier Arebola, a Lied specialist, who has been responsible for the piano coaching sessions. Arebola has a close connection with Carnegie Hall’s Song Studio from an earlier period, under the direction of Renée Fleming.
Following the success of the first edition, Victoria de los Ángeles Legacy strengthens the link between Barcelona and New York, as well as the strong relationship between the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation and The Juilliard School, institutions united by a shared vision of artistic excellence and the training of new generations of performers.
As a result, both institutions have carried out artistic exchanges with some of their artists and faculty, such as the soprano Dalila Lugo , a Juilliard student, who recently took part in the Lied series LIFE Victoria in Barcelona, opening the recital by mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb; or Brian Zeger, Artistic Director of Juilliard’s Vocal Arts Department, who, in addition to accompanying Chaieb and Lugo at the piano, met with students and graduates of the Victoria de los Ángeles Lied Master’s programme at ESMUC to share perspectives and concepts for pianists and singers developing their careers in the field of Lied.