On Thursday, exactly half a century after he made his dramatic stage debut in Guadalajara, tenor Placido Domingo once again trod the boards of the Degollado Theater.
“Welcome to this theater, your home maestro,” Culture Secretary Myriam Vachez gushed as Domingo joined Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval to unveil a plaque commemorating the 150th anniversary of the fabled building.
The fact that fate had determined Domingo would be present at two of the theater’s major milestones seemed to have a profound emotional effect on the famed Spanish opera singer.
He smiled, laughed and joked – could there even have been a slight tear in his eye?
On September 13, 1966, Domingo sang a role in Lucia di Lammermoor, curiously the same opera chosen to celebrate the theater’s 50th birthday bash in 1916.
Disappointingly, on this visit to Guadalajara Domingo will not thrill audiences with his amazing voice, but leave the stage open to the stars of tomorrow.
All this week, the Degollado has hosted the behind-closed-doors heats of his prestigious international Operalia competition. Since Tuesday, 40 of the world’s brightest up-and-coming operatic singers have been trying to convince a panel of ten professional judges of their abilities. By Thursday, the field had been narrowed down to 20, with three Mexicans and nine Americans still in the hunt for the top prize.
By Sunday, the number will be reduced to just ten,
who will perform to a packed house, as well as hundreds camped out in Plaza de la Liberation watching for free on a big screen, others crammed into a showing at the Teatro Diana, and many, many more tuning in on free-to-air Canal Siete, the Jalisco state government’s own channel, or Mexico’s cultural channel, Canal 22.
Domingo, nonetheless, will be front and center, picking up the baton on Sunday to conduct the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra’s accompaniment to the contestants.
Nearly all the previous winners of the 23 editions of the Operalia competition have gone on to enjoy hugely successful careers. The year’s contestants are all aged between 25 and 32.