Ernesto Ramirez, who has gone on from an early musical education at the University of Guadalajara to become an internationally acclaimed tenor, and his wife, distinguished Canadian mezzo-soprano Michèle Bogdanowicz, will present a selection of beloved opera and show music in Ajijic, Thursday, August 24, 4 p.m., in the large Auditorio de la Ribera in La Floresta.
Accompanying the duo will be the well-known pianist and choral director Timothy G. Ruff Welch.
The musicians will begin with compositions by María Grever and go on to perform favorites from operas such as “Carmen,” “Rigoletto” and “Les Troyens,” as well as show music from “Porgy and Bess,” “West Side Story,” “Les Misérables,” “Evita” and “Dick Tracy.”
Ramirez’s career has spanned Canada, Europe, Israel and Mexico and family ties bring him back to this area from his home in Toronto, while Bogdanowicz, born in Toronto, has connections here from her performances in two early Northern Lights festivals, which have taken place in Ajijic annually for almost 15 years. Despite their ties to Jalisco, it wasn’t until 2008 that the singers met – in Montreal. Another amusing twist in Ramirez’s story is that he began his musical career playing clarinet – the distinguished American flutist Charles Nath was his teacher while in Guadalajara – but he always showed such aptitude for singing that he was later persuaded to dedicate himself to it.
Ramirez explained that while he and Bogdanowicz are in Mexico with their daughter, he has happily noticed the increasing government support given to the development of young musicians here.
The arts production group Viva La Música has snagged the couple as the final presentation in its Summer in the Village series.
Tickets for the concert cost 300 pesos and are available in Ajijic at the Lake Chapala Society from 10 a.m. to noon, and all day at Diane Pearl Colecciones and Mia’s Boutique. The performance is at Auditorio de la Ribera, Boulevard De Jin XI 110.