A U.S.-born Mexican citizen and native of Guadalajara meet over lunch in a restaurant in Seoul, South Korea and plan a concert to be presented Lakeside.
It’s not a joke! It’s actually how the next concert at BRAVO! Theatre, featuring mezzosoprano Estela Santana and collaborative pianist Timothy G. Ruff Welch, came into being.
Here’s the story. When Tim was appointed director of the Zapopan Municipal Choir, Estela was one of the singers. They got to know each other over a few years when, just before Covid hit, Tim retired from that position. A few months later, Estela reached out to him and asked if he would write her a letter of recommendation for her application to Korea National University of Arts in Seoul, South Korea for graduate training in vocal performance. Four months later, Estela contacted Tim to let him know she had been accepted and, not only that, was also offered a four-year full scholarship, a stipend, a visa so that she could work, and six months of intensive language training in Korean, because all of her instruction would be in Korean.
When asked, “Why South Korea?” Estela says: “Usually, when we think about studying opera and vocal music abroad, we think of Europe—Italy, Germany, etcetera. But there are many opportunities in other places and Asia has a particularly rich tradition in Western music. When I was younger and dreamed of studying abroad, I always thought about Italy. But, after researching the opportunities as an adult, Korea was always my first option because of the excellence of their program.”
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