Music came into the lives of the sisters Esperanza and Josefa de Velasco a few years after learning to walk; heirs of the composer’s genius Belisario de Jesús Garcíahis great-grandfather, listened to Igor Stravinsky and Ennio Morricone as children, which sparked her interest in creating. Currently they stand out as versatile composers and orchestra conductors.
“We grew up playing the piano, taking folklore classes and we had those moments when we began to experiment on the piano, to look for melodies or songs that, beyond composing them for someone else, were a personal process. When we chose music as a career, it was something more formal,” Josefa recalls in an interview with MILLENNIUM.
This process of musical growth led them to acquire knowledge from the Fermatta Music Academy, the National Musical Promotion System and in classes with teachers such as Humberto Hernandez Medrano, Cliff Colnot, Kenneth Kiesler and Riccardo Muti.
“It’s great to complement us both. Before the comparison was harsher, but Right now we are in the process of sharing, of asking each other’s opinions, we grew in that aspect,” Esperanza emphasizes.
A project where they share is the Sorority Orchestrawhich was born in 2020 after the Secretary of Culture He invited them to form an ensemble to close the Tiempo de Mujeres Festival.
Josefa remembers that they had “between two and three months to put together this orchestra, and it was nice because We call for musicians and we find many very talented ones. “It was going to be on the Zócalo board and it was just the Covid-19 thing, so we had to do it at the Esperanza Iris Theater and it was on TV, in the media.”
“Normally in an orchestra the majority are men, that is the most normal, but here the level of team and communication, making decisions and sharing was very different; you are no longer thinking to see if they will accept my comment, you are working and That generated something new, removing the stigma that among women we put our foot in, rather it was a very beautiful sisterhood. We also enjoyed it a lot because you take off many masks“, Esperanza details about the Orchestra where they coexist 80 women.
—In their work they address a great diversity of sounds. Has this always been something natural?
“Yes. Music and being an artist is not just one thing. Sometimes it takes away my peace a little because they say that those who cover a lot don’t get much, there are people who specialize, but our path has not been like that. Suddenly it has There have been incredible opportunities to conduct an orchestra, but suddenly we have the opportunity to write and conduct a concert, or we are only asked to write things or in film matters it is more of a composition work. It depends on the project and the niche of the project we are in. at that moment. Now I understand that that defines us, that we can have that versatility and we manage to do what we do“: Esperanza.
“You start by trying to soak up as much as possible to have more tools. To be in front of the orchestra you need to prepare, so first the challenge was all the training: looking for teachers, subjects, we almost created our career. Being in contact as artists to say ‘How would I like to speak? What message would I like to tell at a concert?’ Be in touch with who you are and transmit it with music. Trusting your music is another part of being an artist. They are different stages that are very enjoyable, but also require a lot of time; Many times they are challenges where you must have the confidence and give everything of yourself to achieve them”: Josefa.
Fonobox is the project created by the sisters where they offer musical composition, production and recording, among other related services. This has led them to work on the soundtracks of feature films and series such as Invitation to Murder, The Most Beautiful Flower, The Negotiator, It Wasn’t My Fault y They killed me three times.
—What is the process of making music for audiovisual projects that tell stories of violence, for example, the documentary They killed me three timess?
“It’s a fine line where if there is something very terrifying you are not going to make it more terrifying, that it does not fall into something exaggerated or grotesque. We want what is being told to be transmitted, but respecting the people who are saying it; yes A daughter whose mother was killed tells that, you are not going to dramatize it in a way that becomes in bad taste. You have to maintain very fine music with a lot of respect for the person and what they are experiencing. Until valuing silence, which is very powerful“: Esperanza.
“Be clear about when the music is more protagonist, when it is accompanying, when you are lightening the moment that is hard. There are stories that we have made that are reality, they are not fiction, so you must have a lot of empathy“: Joseph.
— It seems that in Mexico a panorama of violence and fear prevails socially. Do you think art is the answer?
“These series or movies that tell all these stories do help raise awareness of what we are experiencing; more than what is happening, many stories try to suggest what to do, ‘You can help this way or there is this phone number for you to dial.’ ‘Because we have normalized so many situations… for example, many stories are inside the house and by raising your voice it helps someone else want to act. I believe that art is a great tool to identify ourselves, but also to act.“: Joseph.
— In this era of digitalization, of social networks. What are the great challenges for artists? Thinking that there is transience, but also great scope.
“It’s a two-sided coin. Before, a record label or media promoted music, but now we have more channels and therefore more audiences, more media opportunities. I think that’s why we are so versatile, because there are many new spaces where we can grow and express ourselves.” your music”: Esperanza.
—And why do they make music?
“Just as before the nuns said they had a calling, so do we. I can’t imagine doing anything else, the first decision of what to do with my life was music, and we found the way and we haven’t stopped. I don’t know how to do anything else, I would have to invent something new and someone to teach me, because this is what mine is”: Esperanza.
“As in any career you need many things to be able to make music, you need to move, go out to make contacts. It is a very gratifying feeling to finish a song. We had the opportunity to play our works in Los Pinos with the Carlos Chávez Orchestra and it made me very happy , it wasn’t about how much they paid me but what a beautiful moment to be in front of the orchestra playing music that I wrote. You never stop and you need many other aspects to be able to do it. It’s one of the things that makes me feel alive the most.“: Joseph.
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2024-01-01 23:39:25
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