Meet Alexis Alfaro, Mexican-American Tenor, singer of classical music, traditional folk songs, and contemporary jams. He’s praised worldwide for his technique, engaging stage presence, and sensitive approach to the art of voice. Alexis was raised and trained in many prestigious institutions, including the University of Kansas. He’s most recently performed in Verdi’s masterpiece Rigoletto with the San Diego Opera.

We got talking with Alexis about how opera music is shaping up in the post-covid era. Here are the main highlights from our chat.

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What was the transition into quarantine like for Alexis?

He was preparing to perform at the San Diego Opera and thought the lockdown would be temporary. But now Alexis acknowledges that it could take 1 to3 years for things to get back to normal.

However, he sees this as an opportunity for artistes to show their creativity, saying, “This is our time to shine.”   He believes that opera artistes should take advantage of all the technology that’s available to get their music and performances out there, saying, “We’re lucky we’re in 2020 and not 1918.”

How is opera adapting to the “new normal” way of performing the arts?

Alexis believes the mind-set that there’s only one way of performing opera, and one way of staging it – at the opera house – is changing.

“We have the opportunity to share this [opera] with so many people, and we keep on being exclusive… all the technology we have presents us with a chance to share it more,” are his sentiments. But he believes the pandemic is quickly changing all that.

On how technology is helping everyone, including kids, access classical music.

Before, you had to go to a library to access classical music, or get it from your choral director. Today kids being introduced to classical music have everything they need at their fingertips because of technology, and that’s a big advantage.

Alexis is thankful for streaming platforms like Spotify, which make music easily accessible, a fete he says couldn’t have been accomplished if you consider how things were 20 years ago.

Are there signs of things getting back to normal within the opera circles?

“We’re getting things like drive-in shows now,” says Alexis, giving an example of their performance at the San Diego sports arena. He’s happy with the collaboration work that is happening in San Diego.  He gives credit to the San Diego Opera general director for thinking outside the box doing and creating innovative productions that were already reaching out and engaging the local community before the covid hit. “The opera house was ready for this. We’ve started to pivot and are [engaged in] innovative productions. Other opera houses, including major ones, have shut down their season, and San Diego is still here doing something.”

Is classic/opera music getting the priority it deserves at the moment?

Alexis acknowledges it’s a bad time, especially for colleges offering arts because these faculties are usually the first ones to suffer whenever there are budget cuts to be done. “There’s not a lot of opera singers out there,” he notes, “in the US, the opera house performers are around 33,000 – that’s 0.009% of our population.”

What are Alexis’ plans for 2021?

“We’ve gone digital with some programs like Opera Wednesdays, a concert series featuring performances from opera singers from all over Southern California,” says Alexis, adding, “We’ve already done one concert and are releasing more in November and December.”

Alexis is also doing personal voice recordings and collaborations with other musicians.

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Hi! I’m Danielle Tucker – singer, vocal coach, and lead vocalist of The Mighty Untouchables band.

Throughout my 20-year career, I’ve equally enjoyed singing country, rock, pop, gospel, and jazz. Today, I’m a professional singer/songwriter available for solo performances, studio recording, and lead vocalist of San Diego-based band The Mighty Untouchables. I also offer vocal coaching to both solo artists and groups through my own studio. I’ve crafted a rewarding vocal career, and it’s my great pleasure to bring music to others through private bookings, performing with my band, or helping others to grow more confident in their own vocal gifts. Thanks for visiting my site I’m honored that you’d like to get to know me!

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