Esquivelzeta

ABOUT

This kind of method has given me the opportunity to sing and express the different roles and interpretations of music, coming from simple melodies to the most complex compositions that ennoble the human race. I can sing classical art songs, Italian Canzone, Zarzuela, Sacred music, Broadway songs, Mexican Art songs, Bolero, Mariachi, Jazz, and of course, my specialty, Opera. Thanks to this method, I have the ability to make the exact and proper emission each music style requires since each piece deserves proper respect to the composer by not making everything sound ‘operatic’.

MISSION

My passion and mission are to express, at the maximum level, the art of singing. I strive to share, provide, and apply all my experience and knowledge to help people succeed and enjoy their journey as singers.

As a singer, my mission is to provide the consciousness of vocal emission which will establish a connection from the ethereal through the body to make a sound.

The Vocal Enlightenment method is to work the energy of the body through breathing and stimulating exercises. These exercises allow the “spaces” located in the lower area of the body to be opened and expand without restraining the power of breath, thus creating a free, beautiful, unique, and authentic sound, allowing the individual to reach places unimaginable in a conscious way.

As a result of the work and constant practice. the individual can have full knowledge about “what is happening inside the phonetic system”, what is capable of, which is the vocal range that he/she can reach in a comfortable way protecting the vocal cords, and this will benefit in their performance all the time.

VISION

I want to contribute to this new era with my experience and knowledge of one’s inner-self power for the generations to come. More importantly, help them overcome the common mediocracy that has been dominating the opera world by presenting a method long thought extinct. Consequently, this will ignite the Opera Renaissance of the 21st Century with power, inner wisdom, balance, class, and beauty, demonstrating that it is possible to sing in a free and conscious way.

MY STORY

My ancestors were European. My grandmother was Italian and my grandfather was from the Basque country in northern Spain. I was raised with the traditional thought that being ‘professional’ in any area meant automatic success.

I became a professional airline pilot for Mexicana Airlines with some intense challenges en route. Despite the hardships, I became stronger in character, much more mature, and thus gained deeper insights. Yet, since I was a youngling, I knew there was more to life than what my parents established me to do.

In life, when one’s spirit yearns expression, it finds a way to communicate and show us the path to fulfill one’s “destiny”.

Music resided in my heart ever since I was born! I have always leaned to music that ‘lifts the spirit’, from the smoothest jazz to classic rock, to great composers, musicians, and groups.

When my father passed away, my family underwent very strong hardships. His passing accumulated with other problems I was currently going through, making everything seem to be going backward. One day, as my mother was mourning him in the living room, she was listening to Luciano Pavarotti sing Nessun Dorma, the beautiful aria written by Giacomo Puccini from the opera Turandot. For the very first time in my life have I ever beheld such beauty. The gracefulness and passion were like nothing I have ever come to experience! At this very moment, I knew very little of what will blossom as my professional singing career.

Right away that afternoon I learned the lyrics and began to sing them (or tried to sing it I should say) without any method, without any prior singing class or coaching. I reached the famous high B with no effort, I was singing the full aria over and over again…
I was thrilled!
At that moment, my singing career began in my living room twenty-five years ago in the middle of the 90s– now commenced the challenge of finding the right teacher.

MY MENTORS

I want to express my gratitude to the people that help me achieve the fullest expression of myself. With their knowledge, coaching, and teachings, I discovered the Path for Vocal Truth. I was able to experience, not only the world as a singer but as a more sensible, humane, and perceptive person. To all of them…Thank you!

MY WORK

When I started making my first performances, a good friend told me: “No hay escenarios pequeños” (There are no small theatres). He was right. I have been among all kinds of audiences. From connoisseurs in Opera to the most humble people of Mexican villages–who never had the opportunity to listen to Opera and classical songs before– to students from a disadvantaged background, the elderly and sick, Sunday Masses, Funerals, Santa Monica Third Promenade, NYC subway, Hollywood Boulevard, etc. The combination of these experiences taught me what is the purpose of singing. Music is a language, and singing is the way to express it. It transmits the most breathtaking sounds and vibrations, not only grabbing the attention of the audience but allowing them to share the passion I possess while performing.

My mentor Ricardo Sanchez once told me: “if the big theaters are for you, the opportunity is going to arrive. Until then, keep developing your skill and be humble to share with the people what you have”. Since then, my spiritual development began to grow without being fully aware. I was an apprentice of the spiritual, not in a religious manner but in an art form.

Someone had told me: “Your voice is no longer yours. It belongs to the people. You have a commitment to share it!”.

As it turns out, there were countless times when the public around me felt alive when I sang. Their reaction has always been of gratitude, kindness, magic, even tears, and hugs. I could see people having comfort. Enjoying their favorite song. Remembering good times. I understood the very important meaning of “service to others”–which I´m most grateful for.

For instance, I was performing in the NYC subway and a gentleman was hiding behind a column listening to me. As soon as I finished my performance, he approached me and said:

“My wife passed away a few months ago–and I am so sad. I came today decided to throw myself into the tracks and was about to do so; suddenly, I heard you… All I know now is I don´t want to die anymore.”

We embraced and cried…

I was astonished. I could not believe the amount of hope and love I displayed, particularly to the point of tears. This is where I began to grasp my purpose and commitment. I realized that all my struggles, challenges, ups and downs, pain, and love for the joy of life, had given me the wisdom to express that way.

These are some letters that a person gave me after one of my performances.

❖ In September 2014 in Los Angeles, CA, he had his debut with the Repertory Opera Company with a gala concert.

❖ In August 2015, he sang the main role Canio in the opera I Pagliacci with the renowned Maestro Frank Paul Fetta and the Marina Del Rey Symphony Orchestra.
❖ In October 2015, he sang for The Celestial Opera Company the role of Eisenstein in their production of Die Fledermaus.

Soul of Dreams – Eduardo Maka